BUJUMBURA, October 10th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, took part on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, in the handover of port infrastructures erected as part of the project to modernize the port of Bujumbura, donated by the Japanese people, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his speech, the Head of State began by recalling that transport enables communication and the exchange of goods between Burundi and neighboring countries via Lake Tanganyika, and thus to be connected to the southern part of Africa.
According to him, this project to modernize the port of Bujumbura, which is in line with the vision of Burundi as an emerging country in 2040 and developed in 2060, aims to improve infrastructure and accessibility in all areas, in order to move the country towards structural transformation for a sustainable economy.
Indeed, this modern shipyard in the port of Bujumbura meets the enormous need to repair and inspect Burundi-registered boats, which would otherwise have to turn to the port of Kigoma (Tanzania) and Kalemi (DRC) for salvage, he continued. From now on, Burundi and other boats can be repaired in this yard, he announced.
This infrastructure will considerably increase the volume of goods handled, and should also reduce transport costs. In addition to stimulating Burundi’s economy by improving the efficiency of lake transport, the project will contribute to the East African community’s efforts to facilitate distribution and trade, with a view to improving the regional economy.
On this occasion, Ndayishimiye thanked the Japanese government for its multifaceted support in the realization of several development projects in the country, especially in the improvement of transport infrastructures.
The project was implemented as part of a Japanese grant worth 3,518,000,000 Japanese yen, or around 31 million US dollars, equivalent to 100 billion BIF.