12-24-2016 ■ Domitien Ndihokubwayo, Burundi’s finance minister presented a draw law outlining a number of austerity measures to the National Assembly on 22 December for 2017. Parliamentarians then discussed the austerity policy. The new budget was eventually voted in by 11O MPs out of the 111. 2017 will be characterised by (...)

12-24-2016 ■ Two NGOs have decried a series of austerity measures the government of Burundi has adopted in its 2017 budget. The austerity measures are aimed at trying to remain on two feet in the face of a faltering national economy, mainly due to cuts of foreign sponsors on which it (...)

12-22-2016 ■ In a commentary on the 2017 budget presented by the president of the general accounting office on 21 December in the National Assembly, different MPs proposed the review of the policy to reduce state owned vehicles (Charroi Zero). BIF 2.4 bn have been proposed to be used in the (...)

12-20-2016 ■ The Burundian Association of Consumers-ABUCO and the Center for Fight against Corruption and Economic Embezzlement- OLUCOME say they are not pleased with the decision by the public company in charge of supplying water and electricity-REGIDESO to increase the price of electricity. ABUCO says the decision comes to worsen the (...)

12-20-2016 ■ Alongside the official inauguration of digital television, Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza, has introduced the optical fibre Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) on this 19 December 2016. The event marked an important step towards the increase of the penetration of information and communication technologies that Nestor Bankumukunzi, the Minister in charge (...)

12-06-2016 ■ Brarudi, which is the largest producer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Burundi, has increased the price of soft drinks by BIF 100 from BIF 600 to BIF 700 from 5 December 2016. The company justifies the decision by “the increase in prices of imported raw materials used to (...)

12-06-2016 ■ “We should move from speeches by political leaders and sensitization campaigns to concrete actions to effectively fight corruption in Burundi. Awareness is still needed but it is not enough as the situation is becoming more and more alarming “, says Faustin Ndikumana, Chairman of the local NGO aiming at (...)

11-29-2016 ■ The price of sugar varies between BIF 2400 and BIF 2600 in some Bujumbura neighborhoods while the official price is BIF 1900. In Bwiza neighborhood of Mukaza Commune, a kg of sugar costs BIF 2400. “We can hardly find sugar. It has gone scarce since the past two weeks”, (...)

11-25-2016 ■ The Observation for Fight against Corruption and Economic Embezzlement (OLUCOME) has sounded the alarm on Burundi’s economic situation. It is calling for all relevant parties to engage in inclusive talks to find solutions to the socio-political, economic and security crisis facing Burundi since April 2015. In a declaration issued (...)

11-11-2016 ■ The price of the staple foods has increased by up to 67% at a key market in Bujumbura. At the Buyenzi Market called “Chez Sion”, the price of rice from Zambia has risen to BIF 400 per kilo from BIF 1200 just one month ago. Rice from Tanzania costs (...)