BUJUMBURA, April 2nd (ABP) –Burundi organised, on Monday 31 March 2025, the 16th National Prayer Breakfast, which took place in the National Assembly hemicycle in Bujumbura Mayorship, on the theme “There is hope for a believer” Job 14:7-9.
Based on the theme of the day, the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, gave lessons to Burundians and leaders so that they can truly embody hope.
He pointed out that Burundians have only one God, and even the ancestors put God first. That shows that Burundians have hope.
He stressed that a bad leader is one who causes division. To avoid that, every leader must put God first in all his projects, because all power comes from the Creator.
President Ndayishimiye affirmed that everyone has the right to lead. He announced that if we go through difficult times in the coming days, we will live in better conditions. He asked the leaders to have confidence in God, because according to him, even a tree that has been cut down has hope of growing again.
He was delighted that the citizens of rural areas had a vision of their future.
The President of the National Assembly, Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe, explained that the National Prayer Breakfast was initiated in 1953 by the US Congress, and began in Burundi in 2006. However, the tradition really took off in 2013.
The National Prayer Breakfast has a number of benefits, he says. In terms of relations between states, it is an ideal opportunity to expand international networks of friendship.
In terms of domestic policy, it is an opportunity to convey a political, security, economic, social, humanitarian and spiritual message to the national elite.
He went on to point out that on an individual level, participants have the opportunity to strengthen their sense of humanism, receive useful advice and make friendships based on faith in God.
That has a positive impact on both their private and professional lives.
On a social and humanitarian level, the population benefits from the National Prayer Breakfast, as political and socio-economic leaders are better able to fulfil their respective roles. Both public and private services are better delivered, while solidarity and social cohesion are strengthened around leadership.
The National Prayer Breakfast also has a security dimension through contacts that facilitate relations between the State and through messages of national unity, reconciliation, respect for norms and obedience to authority.
The event was also marked by testimonies from various individuals on the different experiences they have had.