BUJUMBURA, January 23rd (ABP) – REGIDESO recently started the ASCENT-BURUNDI project, which will take care of the rehabilitation; modernization; densification and electrification of the city of Bujumbura and its peripheral areas, said the Director General of the company, Mr. Jean Albert Manigomba, during a press briefing he held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
On that occasion, Mr. Manigomba indicated that the studies on the project have been carried out and that the financial means necessary for its execution are available. He also said that the consulting engineer was recently recruited in this context, and that REGIDESO has already set up the coordination units for the project. He further stated that the next step is the launch of the tender documents to find the company that will implement the project, adding that the launch of the tender file and the analysis of offers cannot exceed two months.
“The actual work on the ground will begin within 3 months,” he confirmed, adding that the ASCENT-BURUNDI is a long-term project aimed at leading Burundi to total access to energy. He explained that after the Bujumbura city and the Bujumbura province, REGIDESO will start other centers that are not yet electrified, in the interior of the country.
According to him, the project will end when the entire country is electrified. Mr. Manigomba also informed that this project requires roads that are at least 6 meters wide, and, for this, he called on the population living in unserviced neighborhoods to agree among themselves and give up a few meters to provide access to the road. If these residents fail to reach an agreement, he stressed, REGIDESO will call on the three ministries, namely the Ministry in charge of Energy, that responsible for the Interior and the Ministry in charge of Infrastructure, to find a solution.
He reassured the population of unserviced localities that this project is intended to improve their lives and not to drive them out without giving them somewhere to live. The project will be implemented but also the population will have somewhere to live, he said.