NGOZI, Dec 26 (ABP) – The Ministry of Public Health organized a workshop on Wednesday, December 23, 2025, for administrative officials and civil registrars in Butanyerera province, focusing on family planning.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Oscar Ntihabose, Director General in charge of the Prevention and Health Security Program at the Ministry, emphasized that Burundi is facing a worrying demographic trend. The population is estimated at 12,332,788 inhabitants in an area of 27,834 km².
He indicated that this growth is placing significant pressure on public services, particularly schools, health centers, and other services. According to him, controlling population growth is a national emergency and an essential condition for achieving the goals of the vision for an emerging and developed Burundi in 2040–2060. “It is impossible to develop if nothing is done to change this situation,” he stated.
Dr. Ntihabose also noted that for every 100 women who want access to family planning services, only 29 obtain modern contraceptive methods, while 30 women have unmet needs. He explained that these gaps are not solely due to limited access to services, but also to deep-rooted social and cultural factors.
In his presentation, Dr. Olivier Gahungere reported that the rate of use of modern contraceptive methods was projected to reach 34.5% by the end of 2024. He warned that at this rate, if fertility is not controlled, Burundi’s population could increase by 233% by 2050, compared to current figures.
Jean Claude Nduwayo, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, Community Development, and Public Security, emphasized that family planning must be a major concern for everyone, for the well-being of the population and national development. He called on administrative officials to intensify awareness campaigns on birth management, stressing that this would help reduce family conflicts and improve quality of life.
He recommended that civil registrars inform newlyweds about the importance of family planning in order to effectively address the challenges related to rapid population growth.