BUJUMBURA, May 14th (ABP) – The Cabinet met on Wednesday May 8 in Bujumbura, under the chairmanship of the Burundi Head of State, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye.
According to the press release issued by the Secretary General of the State, Mr. Jerôme Niyonzima, the information note on the preliminary designs for the reconstruction of the former central market of Bujumbura, presented by the Minister of Infrastructure, Equipment and Social Housing, Mr. Dieudonné Dukundane, was analyzed.
Through the said press release, it is recalled that the old central market of Bujumbura was inaugurated in 1994 and a fire took it away at dawn on January 27, 2013. The national development plan (PND) revised 2018-2027 provides for the reconstruction of that infrastructure, which is so crucial for the country’s economy.
The note proposes two variants, the first consisting of the construction of a complex including a Shopping Mall, a conference room for 3,000 people, a five-star hotel, while the second consisting of the construction of a complex subdivided into five blocks of buildings and a 30-level tower including more than 3,000 stores, supermarkets and boutiques, a conference room for more or less 1,000 people and a five-star hotel.
After analysing the note, the Cabinet meeting appreciated the work that was carried out and made certain observations. Make a model of three towers, like the stars of the national flag, and prepare it for analysis at the Council of Ministers within three months. It is also necessary to remove the rubble from the site so that it is an open area while recovering the materials found there.
The Cabinet meeting proposed looking for a specialized house and the means to carry out the preliminary studies necessary for that reconstruction.
During that meeting, the draft ministerial order establishing the conditions for carrying out real estate development activity in the private sector in Burundi was analyzed. It was presented by the minister responsible for Infrastructure. Burundi’s planning tools place particular emphasis on social housing and the development of decent housing accessible to low-income Burundian citizens, and require the commitment of those responsible as well as the combined efforts of various stakeholders.
The town planning, housing and construction code authorizes private real estate developers to carry out town planning operations. Real estate developers continue to demonstrate their desire to invest in the real estate sector. Some banks are also showing interest, and the government encourages that type of initiative. That draft order is proposed so that real estate development initiatives can find an adequate framework allowing their materialization.
After exchange and debate, the Cabinet recommended that that project be analyzed at the same time as the text creating the authority for the regulation and control of real estate transactions in the next Cabinet meeting.