MUGERE, April 23 (ABP) – As part of the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and more specifically its second ten-year plan (2024-2033), a joint mission of the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) was organized from April 21 to 24, 2026. This mission aims to strengthen national capacities for the ownership, implementation, and monitoring of Agenda 2063, within the framework of the “Decade of Acceleration.”
The minister of foreign affairs, regional integration and development cooperation, Edouard Bizimana, during his opening speech at this session on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, stated that the objective of these meetings is to strengthen the capacity of the government of Burundi to integrate the implementation of Agenda 2063 into its national planning, implementation, and reporting processes.
He noted that Burundi has not remained on the sidelines of the domestication of Agenda 2063. It has equipped itself with the vision of Burundi as an emerging country in 2040 and a developed country in 2060, as well as the National Development Plan (PND) 2018-2027, which takes this Agenda into account. For him, Agenda 2063 embodies the aspirations of African peoples, including the Burundian people, to realize the vision of “an integrated, prosperous Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a strong dynamic on the global stage.”
Continuing in the same vein, Bizimana informed that Burundi is on the right track toward achieving this Agenda, as it has “undertaken significant institutional reforms to strengthen governance,” while listing the adoption of a program-based budget grounded in coherent and results-oriented planning.
Moreover, Minister Bizimana presented to the technical team the priorities of Burundi, defined by the Head of State, which should be taken into account and integrated into Agenda 2063 in the case of Burundi. These priorities include the digitalization of public administration, infrastructure, energy, the promotion of cultural heritage, health, sanitation, and access to drinking water. They also include the development of the agricultural, mining, and industrial sectors.
The minister in charge of foreign affairs also called on development partners, including AUDA-NEPAD and the AUC, to contribute significantly to the efforts already undertaken by Burundi. He reiterated Burundi’s commitment to collaborate with AUDA-NEPAD so that the country integrates and implements the AU’s Agenda 2063.
The representative of the African Union Commission, from the directorate of the strategic planning office and implementation mechanism, Charles Wagandya, stated that the ambitions expressed by African countries in general, and Burundi in particular, will only have meaning if they are aligned with national realities. For him, the second ten-year plan is a call to action.
According to him, holding these sessions is an opportunity for Burundi to adapt its national plans to Agenda 2063 and to implement it under better conditions. He also emphasized the importance of this second decade, which began in 2024, under the banner of acceleration.
Wagandya stressed its adoption by member states, noting that its domestication is a political imperative for integrating an entire nation into the proper path toward achieving the objectives of the AU’s Agenda 2063.
AUDA-NEPAD was represented by its director of strategy, Mohamed Hassan Abdisalam.
During the session, discussions between the Burundian technical teams, the AUC, and AUDA-NEPAD are set to focus on aspects of technical support to be provided to Burundi regarding Agenda 2063.