Seven years after the Bujumbura Central Market burned down; many Burundians wonder why the place that housed that former commercial establishment remains unexploited. They regret that it is a huge loss for the country not to exploit that large space located in the center of the capital. The main market in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, caught fire on 27 January 2013
The former Bujumbura Central Market on fire
“The former central market is a strategic trade point; we cannot build there anything and anyhow. It requires a lot of money and the government is waiting to sign a contract with a partner who will agree to build a large commercial center that will be beneficial for Burundian people ” Joseph Butore, the second vice president told MPs on 17 December 2019 when presenting the semi-annual report on the activities conducted by the ministries for which he is responsible. He said some foreign investors want to buy this place, which the government cannot accept.
Gabriel Rufyiri, chairman of an anticorruption watchdog -OLUCOME deplores the fact that the former Bujumbura central market has remained untapped for 7 years. “This market represented 20% of the country’s annual production,” regrets Rufyiri saying that this is due to the fact that some Burundian authorities have tried in vain to appropriate this town square. “At the end of 2014, the government tried to grant this place to a Burundian ambassador to China on the pretext that the place would be exploited by ‘Sino-Africa Company that was finally fictitious,” says Rufyiri who adds that this project was suspended because Burundians denounced this mafia.
“The Burundian authorities are hesitant to exploit this plot if they do not find their own profit,” says Rufyiri. He is worried about the remains of this market which are not removed while they are harmful to people health. He calls on the new leaders who will be elected in less than 4 months to consider the issue concerning the former market as a priority.
IWACU Open Data
