GITEGA, March 10th (ABP) – The project to support financial, agricultural and rural inclusion in Burundi “PAIFAR-B” organized on Thursday, March 6, 2025 in Gitega (political capital and center of Burundi), an awareness-raising workshop for women leaders, members of cooperatives and indigenous women leaders on financial inclusion in order to strengthen the self-promotion of women, a check by ABP revealed.
During the launch of the workshop, the governor of Gitega province, Venant Manirambona, pointed out that women play a major role in the development of households and the country. He called on them to open bank accounts in order to secure their money and form friendship or trust with financial institutions in order to easily get loans.
The representative of the national coordinator of PAIFAR-B, Ladislas Habonimana called on these women to raise awareness among their peers about financial inclusion in order to jointly promote their empowerment and access financial services to invest in sustainable projects.
Based on this, Marie Louise Nsabiyumva of CECM pointed out that women do not take out loans like men, because, she explained, only 30% of loans were given to women in 70 microfinance institutions. She encouraged women who have bank accounts and those who are embarking on self-development development to take out loans. Nsabiyumva called on women to distinguish between family money and money used in projects, to no longer take out loans for unnecessary needs, but to invest in income-generating activities in order to contribute to the development of their family in particular and the country in general.
Taking the floor, the vice president of FENACOBU pointed out that less than 15% of people aged 18 or under, have bank accounts at a time when Burundi has about 13 million inhabitants. He indicated that people save to secure money and to prepare for a better future. According to him, sometimes certain events such as death, illness, etc., happen unexpectedly. He finally pointed out that to resolve problems related to the financial inclusion of women, the institutions concerned must set up products and services adapted to women and support them to achieve the best results.
The women leaders who were invited to this workshop warmly thanked PAIFAR-B for the advice received. Habarugira Joselyne from Kayanza province testified on the importance of financial inclusion. She pointed out that she started taking out loan in a group, but that she is currently applying for it individually. She indicated that together with her husband, they bought plots and land to cultivate, revealing that they have already built a house.
Based on this testimony, the women who took part in the workshop suggested that PAIFAR-B organize such an awareness session for men, who sometimes do not allow them to make projects and organize visits to exchange experiences to build their capacities in terms of financial inclusion.