BUJUMBURA April 27th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, received in audience, Tuesday April 25, 2023, in Bujumbura, the representatives of the Agha-kan Group which is based in Kenya and directed by the executive representative of this group, Mr. Galeb Gulan, in charge of promoting industrial services. He also received in audience 4 new ambassadors who came to present their credentials.
In an interview granted to the press after those hearings, Guillene Gatoni, the spokesperson for the President of the Republic, indicated that this delegation from the Agha-Kan Group had come to inquire about the inventory of opportunities for investment in Burundi. That group has several agencies at the international level working in different sectors, namely the energy sector, the agriculture sector, the health sector, the telecommunications sector, the industrial sector and several other sectors.
After fruitful exchanges between those guests and the Burundian Head of State, they were able to come up with a list of flagship projects that could be aligned, in order to strengthen cooperation between that group and the Republic of Burundi.
This is the independent fiber optic connection project in Burundi given that until now Burundi is resourced from its neighboring countries, in this case Rwanda and Tanzania. According to the spokesperson for the President of the Republic, having a dedicated fiber optic line could not only contribute to lower internet prices, but also to the security of shared information, she added.
The Agha-Kan Group is also committed to collaborating with Burundi in the sector of industrial processing, particularly in the production of avocado oil, an action that is already carried out by that group in several countries. In addition to the production of avocado oil, they also talked about cooperation in the field of tea production where that group could work with the cooperatives that grow tea and could take care of processing and export.
They also talked about projects in the pharmaceutical sector where this group produces drugs and they expressed their willingness to provide the Republic of Burundi with medical products to not only facilitate access to certain medical products, but also to review the lower the price of those drugs.
The sector of tourism has not been set aside. The Agha-Kan Group, which owns the CERENA brand, has expressed its desire to set up a high-standard SERENA hotel in Burundi, in order to promote the field of tourism, added the spokesperson for the President of the Republic. In view of all these projects which can contribute to the development of Burundi, the Burundian number one thanked this group and encouraged it to work jointly with the competent services, within the presidency, in particular the office in charge of development, in order to develop a specific framework for cooperation that can determine win-win results.
The Burundian President also thanked these partners for having answered the call, while reiterating the country’s commitment to embark on a path of no return towards emerging Burundi in 2040 and developed Burundi in 2060.