MUKAZA, Sept 29 (ABP) – The Burundian NGO Parole et Action pour le Réveil des Consciences et l’Evolution des Mentalités (PARCEM) organized a meeting on Thursday, September 25, 2025, for political and religious leaders, as well as civil society representatives, to exchange views and raise awareness on the need to develop a local development strategy.
In his speech, the national chaiman of PARCEM, Faustin Ndikumana, first recalled that since July 2025, Burundi has embarked on a major administrative reform centered on a new territorial division. According to him, the new communes will develop when ministerial authorities work closely with new communal leaders to ensure the implementation of ministerial activities within the communes.
He added that these communal leaders should also collaborate with the heads of zones and neighborhoods/villages. In this regard, he recommended that the new leaders be equipped with diverse skills and knowledge, as well as appropriate methods to effectively organize and manage their constituents.
During the presentation, consultant Siméon Barumwete gave a talk on the local development strategy, explaining that it identifies five strategic pillars that could guide community development efforts. These pillars are: governance and citizen participation, basic social services, local economic development, environment and natural resources, and infrastructure and land use planning.
According to Barumwete, these pillars are likely to lead the new provinces and communes of the country toward emergence and development in the coming years. He called on the new leaders to adopt governance and citizen participation by strengthening local democracy and fighting corruption and economic malpractice.
During the discussions, participants recommended that the Burundian government continue to collaborate with the new communal leaders so that they can raise awareness among the population about the importance and benefits of decentralizing provinces and communes. They also urged the new communal leaders to identify local economic actors and their needs in order to establish themselves and grow their businesses, with the goal of developing the local economy.