BUJUMBURA March 28th (ABP) – The Burundian Prime Minister, Mr. Gervais Ndirakobuca, received on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in his office, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Burundi, Mr. Mbulelo Shadrack Bungane.
At the end of the audience, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Moïse Nkurunziza, told the press that the ambassador of the Republic of South Africa had come for a courtesy visit with the aim of further strengthening good relations. friendship and cooperation that exists between Burundi and the Republic of South Africa. He also reported that the ambassador congratulated the government of Burundi for its 2040 vision of an emerging and developed Burundi in 2060.
He also welcomed the fact that the government of Burundi thought about aligning the tools planning of that vision, in particular the recently revised national development plan (PND 2018-2027).
The ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Burundi did not fail to reaffirm South Africa’s availability to invest in Burundi, especially in the areas of mining and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister, for his part, expressed the recognition of the Burundian people for the key role of South Africa, the return and the consolidation of peace in Burundi. The Prime Minister also expressed the need to also invest in the tourism sector and in the exploitation of Lake Tanganyika.
The two authorities concluded their meeting by promising to continue exchanges in the areas already identified, so that there can be mutually agreed and win-win contracts so that that vision is a reality in Burundi, but also for the implementation of its planning tools.
Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca also received in audience the regional director of the World Bank, Mr. Albert Zeufack, who was visiting Burundi. The latter controls 4 countries, namely Burundi, the DRC, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe.
After that hearing, Mr. Zeufack told the Burundian press that he is on a mission to Burundi for 3 reasons. He cited the joint review of the World Bank portfolio which will be carried out between the officials of that bank and the government of Burundi, the discussion
on the macroeconomic and structural reforms that the country is implementing, as well as the preparation of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which will take place from April 15, 2024, in Washington.
The regional director of the World Bank congratulated the government of Burundi for its efforts in implementing projects which result in a disbursement rate which is clearly increasing. He also stressed that the meeting with the Burundian Prime Minister focused on the measures to be implemented to accelerate the implementation of projects and disbursement for the well-being of the Burundian population. They also discussed, according to him, the macroeconomic reforms that the government is implementing. They took advantage of that opportunity to identify all the reforms that are necessary to ensure the structural transformation of the Burundian economy, in order to achieve a lot of exports, have a lot of foreign exchange for a significant improvement in the standard of living populations. They also discussed the elements to be put on the table during the upcoming spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Many suggestions and directives were made by the Prime Minister on that subject, according to the regional director of the B M.
The Prime Minister did not fail to congratulate the World Bank for its multifaceted support to the government of Burundi.