BUJUMBURA, November 18th (ABP) – The Secretary General of State, Jérôme Niyonzima, issued a press release relating to the Cabinet meeting that took place on November 13, 2024 in Bujumbura, under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
According to the said press release, the Cabinet analyzed the sectoral policy and strategy document of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning 2023-2027. During his presentation, the Minister in charge of Finance indicated that the development of the Sector Policy and Strategy 2023-2027 took as a reference the national orientation documents, in particular the Vision “Burundi, emerging country by 2040 and developed country in 2060” as well as the revised National Development Plan.
It was reported that this policy identifies the major challenges for the Ministry; defines the goals and strategic axes; identifies the major areas of intervention and priority programmes that will underpin the implementation of this policy; defines the mechanisms for mobilizing resources for its financing; defines the mechanisms for its implementation and monitoring-evaluation, and sets the targets for the indicators, year by year. Following the analysis, the document was adopted with some adjustments.
Another point analyzed concerns the sectoral policy and strategy document of the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security. According to the Secretary General of State, this document was also prepared in line with important national reference tools, namely the vision “Burundi, emerging country by 2040 and developed country in 2060” and the Revised National Development Plan.
This Policy aims to improve local governance, transform local authorities into development hubs and consolidate a peaceful security environment to contribute to a country.
The strategic goals targeted in the implementation of that policy and its implementation strategy include, among others, ensuring local administration consistent with government action; promoting the viability of local authorities and local development; ensuring the security of people and property and also ensuring risk prevention and disaster management.
After discussion and debate, the policy was passed with some adjustments.
The Cabinet also analyzed the Draft Law amending No. 1/09 of November 13, 2020 on the general organization of public administration. It was specified that within the framework of the implementation of public administration reforms, Burundi uses two development instruments, namely the vision “Burundi, emerging country by 2040 and developed country in 2060” as well as the revised National Development Plan.
These two instruments establish the principles of decentralization with a view to bringing power closer to the population and improving the quality of services offered to citizens. It is within this framework that Law No. 1/05 of March 16, 2023 was put in place on the determination and delimitation of the provinces, districts, counties and villages or districts of the Republic of Burundi as well as Organic Law No. 1/18 of June 7, 2024 on the reorganization of district administration. However, it should be noted that public services are until now regulated by Law No. 1/09 of November 13, 2020 on the general organization of public administration. This law has shortcomings in terms of adaptation to these two laws cited above; hence the need for its amendment in order to have a legal instrument that meets the 2040-2060 vision of bringing public services closer to the population. After discussion and debate, the bill was passed with the recommendation that each ministry have decentralized services in the province and that the civil servants assigned to them be under the administrative responsibility of the provincial governor.