NGOZI, April 24th (ABP) – The Mwumba Beekeepers’ Cooperative (CAPM) in Ngozi province is playing a key role in fighting unemployment, especially among the youth and women in rural areas. This was affirmed by the cooperative’s president, Isaac Miburo, during an interview with ABP on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
He explained that the cooperative brings together 200 beekeepers, including 50 young men, 7 women, and 5 girls. It currently manages 2,570 beehives. Through close supervision and training sessions on modern beekeeping techniques provided by the cooperative, members are becoming self-employed entrepreneurs in the apiculture sector.
Honey production has seen a significant increase. The cooperative recorded an estimated yield of 4.7 tons of honey during the last season, Miburo said.
The main challenges the cooperative faces include a lack of financial means to purchase modern equipment such as improved hives, honey extractors, and protective gear. Other threats include deforestation, bushfires, the use of pesticides in nearby fields, and climate change, all of which endanger the bees. Miburo also mentioned hive theft and destruction by animals or ill-intentioned individuals.
He expressed his appreciation for the communal administration of Mwumba, which has provided the cooperative with unused land to support its activities. He also called on the state to support the beekeeping sector.
Mwumba’s communal administrator, Jérémie Manariyo, stated that he brought the beekeepers together into a cooperative to encourage the practice of modern apiculture. He noted that each zone in the commune now has a dedicated beekeeping property. He added that the beekeepers plan to establish a honey collection center to meet national demand and generate surplus for export.
Since beekeeping is often wrongly perceived as an activity mainly for the elderly—a belief that risks leading to the loss of valuable skills—young people are being encouraged to invest in this sector to ensure its sustainability.