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Information attic in Burundi

The information note on the management of MPOX disease in Burundi, one of the items on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting

Bywebmaster

Sep 26, 2024

BUJUMBURA, September 26th (ABP) – The Cabinet met on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, in Gitega, under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, according to a press release issued by the Secretary General of State.

According to that press release, the Cabinet analyzed the note on the memorandum of understanding between shareholders of the joint company called the Impulse, Guarantee and Support Fund (FIGA) presented by the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Audace Niyonzima. It is recalled that the purpose of the note was to inform the Cabinet members on the content of the draft memorandum of understanding as well as the main conclusions from the meeting held for representatives of financial institutions that expressed interest in participating in the share capital of FIGA.

The note shows the conclusion of the meeting on shareholding at FIGA through the definition of majority and minority shareholders, the situation of subscriptions of shareholders, the deadline for releasing the share capital, the sharing of dividends, and the governance of FIGA through the General Meeting of Shareholders, the Board of Directors and the Management Unit.

After analysis, the Cabinet took note of the content and recommended collecting all documents relating to the processes of creating the FIGA joint venture and keeping them safe to maintain traceability.

According to the same press release, the same minister also presented the note on the processing of loans transferred to SINELAC by States. It is recalled that SINELAC was created by the three States, namely Burundi, Rwanda and the DRC, with a share capital of 12 million SDRs divided equally between the States. It has been operating the Rusizi II hydroelectric power plant since 1998.

SINELAC has continued to record cumulative losses over the years, making its financial situation difficult. Based on this, these Member States have requested financial assistance of 32.5 million euros, but the disbursement is conditional on the clean-up of the company’s financial statements.

The said note asks the Government of Burundi to approve the SINELAC recovery plan that was adopted by the General Assembly of Shareholders in order to enable it to collect this donation. With this scenario, which will be done through the mechanism of compensation and crossing of debts, Burundi remains a creditor of SINELAC in the amount of 18,510,000 SDRs. Following the analysis, the Cabinet approved the SINELAC recovery plan.

The Cabinet also analyzed the information note on the management of MPOX disease in Burundi presented by the Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS.

                                                                                  View of the Cabinet members (Photo/Ntare House)

According to that press release, Burundi has been facing an epidemic of Monkeypox since July 24, 2024. This disease is spread throughout the country because 34 health districts out of the 49 in the country have already recorded at least one positive case. Of the 564 cases already reported, the district of north Bujumbura is the most affected with 245 cases. Positive cases are treated in the care centers attached to hospitals. As of September 15, 2024, 269 patients had already been discharged from the hospital and 295 patients were still hospitalized.

With the support of the government in the response to MPOX, some partners have already intervened while others have expressed their promise. Despite those interventions, challenges persist, some of which can be resolved with the technical team set up by the said ministry, and others require a multi-sectoral response.

With that in mind, it was proposed to create a crisis committee responsible for combating the contamination and spread of the Monkeypox virus.

The said committee will be inter-sectoral and will include in particular the minister in charge of community development, the minister of public health and the fight against AIDS, the minister of the environment, agriculture and livestock, as well as the inspector general of the national police of Burundi.

After analyzing the note, the Cabinet approved the creation of that committee and recommended continuing to raise awareness among people so that they can better protect themselves against that virus.

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