BUJUMBURA, February 6th (ABP) – More than 30 foreign delegations on official missions were welcomed in Burundi as part of the strengthening of cooperation relations. This was announced on Wednesday 31, 2024 by Ambassador Albert Shingiro, Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, during the presentation of the achievements of that ministry.
Among the personalities who were welcomed, Mr. Shingiro noted the President of FIFA, Mr. Gianni Infatino who was in the company of a large delegation. Arriving in Bujumbura on October 21, 2023, Mr. Gianni Infatino was received in audience by the Head of State. Their discussions focused on FIFA’s contribution to the promotion of football in Burundi and more particularly in schools.
The other high-ranking personality who visited Burundi last year is the Somali President, Mr Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud. On that occasion, the Somali Head of State and his Burundian counterpart reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties of friendship and cooperation between their respective countries.
Minister Shingiro also noted that Burundi supported Somalia’s membership in the East African Community. The ministry’s duties also includes the organization of the continental youth dialogue which was held on December 14, 2023 in Bujumbura, the capital of African youth.
As part of the promotion of bilateral cooperation, he indicated, the ministry monitored the negotiation and obtained financing for a new bilateral cooperation program (2024-2028), with the Kingdom of Belgium, worth 75 million Euros in the areas of agriculture, education, health, good governance and citizen participation.
Other achievements that were presented by Ambassador Shingiro concern the fruitful contacts made with the Japanese side in relation to the Bujumbura port rehabilitation project as well as the rehabilitation and modernization of the Melchior Ndadaye international airport ; the cost of the work is estimated at $ 52 million. The start of this work is planned for June 2024.
In the field of education, the ministry in charge of international cooperation notes more than 271 study grants and 56 training courses which have been obtained from friendly countries including France, Morocco, Spain, Japan, China, Algeria and India.
Regarding the supervision of the diaspora and the promotion of migrant employment, Mr. Shingiro underlined that several actions have been carried out, namely the organization of the 2023 edition of the diaspora week, which is the 5th of its kind, the organization of awareness workshops on the principles of legal and regular migration, for Burundian administrative officials, the approval of 7 new migrant worker recruitment agencies and the legal deployment of migrant workers to their destination of Saudi Arabia.
Despite those multiple achievements, Ambassador Shingiro noted that the ministry under his leadership remains faced with some challenges linked, among other things, to insufficient material and financial resources, specific skills which are sometimes lacking following retirement of elders and the lack of a building that could house all the ministry’s services.