BUJUMBURA, October 11th (ABP) – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Burundi, Gervais Ndirakobuca, officially opened on Monday October 9, 2023 in Bujumbura, the 4th edition of the high-level forum of women leaders. The forum was organized by the Office of the First Lady for Development in Burundi (OPDD-Burundi), under the central theme: “Contribution of family planning to achieving good nutritional status and the demographic dividend”.
In his speech, Mr. Ndirakobuca has sounded the alarm about the overpopulation of Burundi. He believes that at the current rate of reproduction, demography will soon be out of control.
According to him, overcrowding results in food insecurity, which constitutes a hindrance to the development of the country because the population does not actively go about development work. It is this overcrowding which is at the origin of social conflicts and contributes to the insecurity of the country, said Mr. Ndirakobuca. He added that overpopulation produces more consumers than producers and this situation constitutes a threat to the national economy.
The head of Burundi government also noted that the country is concerned by some families who live in uncertainty wondering how they will find food, and by others who are unable to obtain a balanced diet. It is for this reason that the President of the Republic, upon his accession to power, put forward the slogan: “Every mouth should have what to eat and every pocket, money”, to remedy the situation.
To that end, Mr. Ndirakobuca asked women leaders to contribute considerably to raising community awareness regarding birth reduction and family planning. However, he clarified that this awareness does not only concern women. Men are also concerned and must change their behavior and mentalities while knowing that they are the engine of change in their families.
He recommended that everyone who could contribute to family planning should show solidarity for this noble cause. To the churches and journalists, each as far as they are concerned, the Prime Minister recommended that they bring their cornerstone regarding the reduction of births and family planning.
For her part, Burundi First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye specified that the overall objective of the forum is to contribute to the acceleration of progress towards achieving good nutritional status and the demographic dividend through increased use of family planning.
She added that this high-level forum of women leaders focuses on certain specific objectives, notably the mobilization of women leaders and other stakeholders to better perceive the interrelationships among health, demography, nutrition and the demographic dividend. There will also be the sharing of experiences between countries in family planning, food security, nutrition and the demographic dividend.
In addition, First Lady Ndayishimiye indicated that engaging women leaders and other stakeholders as agents of change in family planning, an important lever for controlling population growth, food and nutritional security, especially for women, adolescents and children, is among the objectives of that forum.
According to her, Burundi, which wants to be an emerging country by 2040, must imperatively and first of all control population growth. In this perspective, she continued to say, women must play a crucial role.
Note that the high-level forum of women leaders has been honored with the presence of three first ladies from Rwanda, Kenya and Zanzibar, friends of Burundi, regional representatives of the United Nations system organizations and other regional institutions.