Burundi, Uganda trade grows

By Geresom Musamali
Uganda last year exported goods and services to Burundi worth $40m. Roofings Ltd alone accounted for $10m, Uganda’s ambassador to Rwanda and Burundi, Richard Kabonero, said recently.

“Our trade is really growing astronomically. This year we expect a 35% increase in the goods and services exported to Burundi,” said Kabonero.

Hima Cement works, Nytil Picfare, Mukwano Industries and Gaso Transport Services are among the other exporters.

On Saturday 3, February 2007, Uganda and Burundi signed a bilateral agreement within the context of the East African Community (EAC) General Agreement on Co-operation.

Under the agreement, Uganda will in May this year export English Language and Literature teachers to Burundi to support the new ambitious Universal Primary Education (UPE) initiative which has a strong English teaching component.

Sadolin Paints (top advert), Aqua Sipi water and Nomi powder soap are other Ugandan products sold in Burundi

Uganda will also help Burundi, which is just coming out of a 13-year old war, to reform its education sector. In return Uganda hopes to get French teachers.

On security, Burundi has also requested the assistance of Uganda to set up a police force. Burundi has never had any professional police force since independence. Instead the special military force called the Gendermeries are doing the policing duties. Uganda will also help train the Burundi Army.

Uganda in addition intends to co-operate with Burundi in the fields of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). By the end of this year, it is expected that, for instance, a Ugandan travelling in Burundi will receive and make telephone calls on the same MTN, Celtel or UTL Mango network.

Moreover, Burundi has offered Uganda a number of incentives that may see Uganda’s imports from Southern Africa coming through Bujumbura Port on Lake Tanganyika. Under the arrangement, the imports would go through New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia and get to the north-eastern Zambia town of Mbala before being trans-shipped to Mpulungu Port, also on Lake Tanganyika but in Zambia, in order to get to Bujumbura.

Currently Ugandan goods have to get to Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in the Republic of South Africa before using the India Ocean route to Mombasa, Kenya. It is estimated that the Bujumbura route will shorten the export and import route by over 2,000kms and also the turn-around time by more than one week.

Uganda’s state minister for Regional Co-operation Isaac Musumba signed the cooperation agreement on Uganda’s behalf while Burundi’s external relations minister Mme. Antoinnette Batumbwira signed for her country, during a colourful ceremony at Source du Nil Hotel in Bujumbura.

Livestock farmers in Western Uganda ought to be excited about the development. Burundi’s cattle population was greatly decimated during the war. The Heart of Africa now wants to restock by getting cattle from Ntungamo and other neighbouring districts. In the meantime, they will also be content with getting beef and fresh milk from Ankole cattle.

“I see the people of Burundi drinking fresh milk every morning from Ntungamo. Sharp business people should start positioning themselves to supply the products,” said Kabonero.

The Burundi ambassador to Uganda, Jean Ngendanganya said entering the EAC is beginning to make great meaning to the people of the two countries. He said they no longer have to pay certain taxes for goods originating in both countries and this should ease business.

ESSENTIAL FACILITY: The Novotel Hotel in Bujumbura

NATURAL WORLD: The country has a number of migratory bird species

Burundi offers plenty to pleasure-seeking tourists

By Joseph Batte
ELEVEN years of civil war almost brought Burundi to its knees. Over 300,000 lives were lost. Today, it is considered one of the poorest countries in the world by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Is there anything valuable that this tiny central African country can offer an adventure-seeking tourist?

The answer is plenty. Burundi provides a range of exciting holiday opportunities for both the adventurous and the lazy sun-bathing tourists.

Because of its geographical position, the country has a combination of flora and fauna which can be found in the east African region, the Zambezi region and central Africa.

Its variations in altitude, which ranges from 780 to 2,666 metres above sea level, allows the forming of a variety of different environments. Burundi is naturally a very rich country, richer than its northern neighbour, Rwanda.

The National Park of Rusizi River
The park is located at the gates of Bujumbura city. This park protects the most important milieus of the low plain of Rusizi, a semi-arid plain that is periodically flooded by the Rusizi waters. The park teems with hippos, antelopes and sitatungas. Most importantly, though, the park is located on one of the migratory highways which cross Africa from north to south. The majority of species of birds originate from eastern and southern Africa, but you will also find a good number of bird species of Asian and European origin. Among the species from eastern Asia are the lesser golden plovers. the buff- breasted sand piper and white-rumped sand pipe from North America can also be found in the park . The park is a paradise for the bird-watcher; it can seduce lovers of nature and unpolluted air.

The Rwihinda Birds Lake
This one is located in the far north of Burundi near the border with Rwanda. The park is part of the immense swamps which surround the Kanyaru River. Every year colonies of birds settle on the ‘islands’, found on the river which can be accessed by canoes. The ardent bird-watcher will get the chance to see the very rare papyrus gonolek, the white-winged warbler and the papyrus yellow warbler.

A fisherman on Lake Tanganyika watches the sun setting

The Ruvubu National Park
What to see: Savannahs, swamps, gallery forests of the Ruvubu low valley which teems with buffaloes, a number of antelope species, red colobes, over 425 species of birds, hippos and crocodiles.

Rusizi National Park
The park is located approximately 15 to 25km from Bujumbura in the Rusizi low plain along the Congo border.
What to see:
The Rusizi delta and its sand bank, the languna, which is home to hippos, crocodiles, rigged out quibs, sitatungas, antelopes, many species of water birds, which migrated from Europe and Asia.

The Kibira National Park
The national park, which is located on the Zaare-Nile crest between Bujumbura and the Rwandese border, tourists will see the tropical mountain forest with dense primary formations, dense bamboo thickets and trees, breath-taking scenic views of the plateaus in the central part of the country and the Rusizi plain. The park is also home to 10 primate species, among them the chimpanzees.

Kigwena Natural Forest
Located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, one will see a periguinean forest with abundant flora and fauna. Bururi Rumonge –Vyanda Natural Forest and the Nyakazu Rift offer scenic beauty. Here, you will see the breath-taking rocky cliff and have a scenic view of Kumoso depression, which is located below the Nkoma mountain chain. The Karera River Falls are other attractions that are surrounded by natural vegetation.

Museums
Any visitor cannot leave this richly-traditional country without visiting the museums of Bujumbura and Gitega. Gitega, is not only the second largest town of the country, but it has also been home to the National Museum since 1955. It houses a magnificent ethnographic collection of treasured objects that were owned by the kingdom and could be seen in courts in the beginning of the 20th Century.

The Living Museum
Located in Bujumbura near Lake Tanganyika, the museum houses a greater part of the treasures in a wider place surrounded by magnificent gardens. Ancient and modern crafts are presented in small, but beautiful cabins. However, the masterpiece of this museum is the reconstruction in the exact dimensions of the royal habitation as it was.
The Living Museum is one of the most renowned tourist attractions in Africa. Other tourist attractions are the Chutes de la Kagera (waterfalls) which are found in Gitega, Cankuzo Gisagara Nature Reserve Bujumbura and Kibabi Hot Springs, Kilemba.
The many sand beaches on Lake Tanganyika, the second-deepest fresh water lake in the world, are just the ideal place to go to for sun-bathing.
While in Burundi, do not worry about the food and where to stay. Upon arrival, you will soon discover there are literally hundreds of places to stay and eat, ranging from luxurious hotels and game lodges to tiny bed and breakfast establishments.
For accommodation one can choose from: Albatros, Amitie, Burundi palace, Club des Vacances, Hotel Residence, Le Doyen, Le Lac Tanganyika, Novotel Bujumbura, Remhotel, Source Du Nil and Hotel Iteka among many others.