Burundi has waived visa fees for about 1,200 participants expected to attend a continental dialogue on youth, peace and security in Africa in the capital Bujumbura from Aug. 10 to 12, the migration authorities said.
The participants will be allowed to enter without paying visa fees at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, according to a statement by Burundi’s Commissioner General for Migration, Maurice Mbonimpa.
The move comes as African governments face pressure to address unemployment among young people and the impact of conflicts across the continent, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The fifth edition of the annual dialogue will bring together policymakers, young leaders, women and international partners to discuss the role of youth and women in preventing conflicts, managing crises and building lasting peace.
At a press conference on Friday, presidential spokesperson Nancy Ninette Mutoni said the first delegations had already arrived in Burundi ahead of the meeting, while others were still travelling from various African countries.
Bujumbura was designated African Youth Capital under a decision adopted at the 37th African Union summit, which also institutionalised the continental dialogue as an annual event to be held in the Burundian capital, Mutoni said.
Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, who is serving as chairperson of the African Union and the bloc’s champion for the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, will host the meeting under his patronage, according to Mutoni.
The dialogue will focus on water, peace and inclusive leadership in Africa, with discussions on strengthening the strategic role of young people and women in conflict prevention, crisis management and sustainable peacebuilding through responsible resource governance.
Mutoni said previous editions had helped young Africans broaden their ambitions by exchanging experiences with peers who had made progress in different fields.
The dialogue has been held annually in Bujumbura since 2022.
