Strengthening Economic Cooperation: Burundi and South Africa

📸: Ntare Rushatsi House

Exciting news for Burundi! The President, His Excellency Evariste Ndayishimiye, met Mr. Jeff Radebe, Special Envoy of the President of South Africa to the Great Lakes Region, at the Ntare Rushatsi Palace on Tuesday. Mr. Radebe came with a message from His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, focusing on boosting economic cooperation between Burundi and South Africa.

“I came to build strong economic ties between our two countries,” the special envoy said. He also conveyed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s invitation for his Burundian counterpart to visit South Africa after the elections in May 2024.

“We are pleased to maintain good relations with South Africa and appreciate your country’s support during the Burundian peace process,” the Burundian leader stated, accepting the invitation to visit South Africa.

President Ndayishimiye also discussed Burundi’s economic potential, highlighting its natural resources and successful mobilization of people into agriculture, following the government’s slogan “every mouth must be fed, and every pocket filled with money.” He encouraged South African investors to explore investment opportunities in Burundi.

During the meeting, the two leaders also addressed peace and security issues in the Great Lakes Region, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They expressed a shared commitment to aiding peace recovery efforts in the DRC for the benefit of the Great Lakes Region