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Burundi Poverty: PARCEM Urges Better Use of Development Funds
By Amielle Beraca Irashoboye（https://andikamagazine.net/author/amielle-beraca-irashoboye/）
October 20, 2026（https://andikamagazine.net/2026/10/20/）
2:42 PM
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Burundian civil society organization PARCEM has called for stronger public financial management, increased investment in infrastructure and more effective use of development funding to address persistent poverty and recurring shortages of fuel, electricity, water and agricultural fertilizers.
In press conference on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Faustin Ndikumana, National Director of “ Parole et Action pour le Réveil des Consciences et l’Évolution des Mentalités”- PARCEM, said Burundi must improve its ability to mobilize and invest available resources to revive economic activity and improve living conditions.
The news conference was held in connection with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed annually on October 17. It focused on strategies to finance economic recovery and development in a country struggling with shortages of essential goods and services.
Ndikumana said addressing poverty requires more than acknowledging the difficulties facing the population. He called for practical, long-term solutions aimed at tackling the underlying causes of economic hardship.
He identified infrastructure modernization as a key priority, including investment in roads, electricity networks, water supply, fuel distribution, telecommunications, health care and education. Such investments, he argued, are essential to increase production, create jobs and support industrialization.
The PARCEM director also questioned the results of successive national development strategies, including Vision 2020–2025, the National Development Plan 2018–2027 and Vision Burundi 2040–2060.
He said the persistence of economic difficulties raises questions about the gap between government development ambitions and the realities experienced by citizens. Development, he argued, should be measured by improvements in people’s living standards rather than by the accumulation of wealth among political leaders.
Concerns over public spending and project implementation
Ndikumana called for stricter management of the national budget and more effective execution of development projects. He also urged the ministry responsible for finance to strengthen its capacity to plan, coordinate and implement publicly funded initiatives.
According to figures cited during the news conference, the execution rate for development projects does not exceed 40%. The figure was presented by PARCEM and was not independently verified.
He further called for better mobilization of available financing and more effective bilateral cooperation to reduce excessive reliance on borrowing.
The organization also advocated greater decentralization of financial resources, arguing that local authorities need adequate funding to develop infrastructure and respond to communities’ needs.
Ndikumana, however, criticized the allocation of some public funds to cooperatives, saying the results had fallen short of expectations. He did not provide specific performance figures in the information presented at the news conference.
Calls for transparency and institutional reform
The fight against corruption and stronger transparency in public financial management were also central to PARCEM’s recommendations.
Ndikumana said institutional and organizational reforms were needed to improve the preparation, management and implementation of development projects. He argued that mobilizing funds alone would not be enough without the capacity to turn them into tangible economic and social benefits.