Corruption and governance challenges have taken center stage as Burundi hosts a two-day roundtable aimed at attracting foreign investments. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a keynote speaker at the event in the country’s economic capital Bujumbura, emphasized the urgent need for good governance and transparency to build investor confidence.
Obasanjo has said good governance and security are the foundations that would allow investors to come to Burundi and warned that countries plagued by corruption cannot expect to secure sustainable investments.
Albert Shingiro, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, had previously raised these concerns, criticizing the growing reports of corruption among Burundians and government officials. “There are individuals who extort money from foreign investors seeking licenses to operate in the country. Such behavior tarnishes our nation’s image,” Shingiro said, describing corruption as a significant obstacle to economic growth.
Gabriel Rufyiri, chairman of the corruption watchdog OLUCOME, stressed the importance of judicial stability and governance reforms. “The business environment is not strengthened at all,” he said, calling for decisive actions against corruption. Similarly, Faustin Ndikumana, head of local NGO PARCEM has criticized the lack of law enforcement, describing existing regulations as “dead documents” without implementation.
Over the past few years, President Évariste Ndayishimiye also lamented the state of the judiciary, blaming corruption for deterring both foreign and domestic investors. “Foreign investors do not come to Burundi simply because you extort their money,” he said, according to a local online TV channel.
The case of Christophe Sahabo, director of Kira Hospital, who has been detained since April 2022 following a management dispute, has raised further questions about the safety of investments in Burundi.
As Burundi faces an economic crisis, the roundtable aims to attract foreign investment in alignment with its Vision 2040-2060 development goals. However, experts argue that without significant reforms to combat corruption and improve governance, achieving these objectives may remain a distant dream.
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