English
French
Swahili
Burundi is a low-labor-cost country that welcomes foreign investment. Burundi’s annual market size is approximately $4.5 billion (in PPP, 2008). This makes it easier for foreign investors to manage and control their operations in Burundi. Here is a list of some of the sectors with untapped investment potential.
Agriculture: Burundi has favorable weather conditions that are perfect for farming, fertile soil, a good supply of water, a good supply of electricity and a good supply of fuel.
The agricultural sector accounts for about 33 percent of the country’s GDP. The sector is dominated by coffee production and its a major source of foreign exchange and employment.
Mining and Manufacturing: mining and manufacturing accounts for 8 and 6 percent of GDP respectively. This presents a potential for foreign investment.
Potential investment in Import goods and services: The economy is heavily reliant on foreign aid and imports which account for over 60% of the country’s budget.
Hotel and tourism: The tourism sector is another area that investors can capitalize on .On Lake Tanganyika, there are numerous opportunities to improve beach tourism and water sports. There is a need to construct hotels and other accommodations in national parks and other tourist infrastructures. Need to build high standing conference centers, Inadequate high-quality hotel capacity: There are no major international hotel chains represented.
Energy: According to the embassy of the Republic of Burundi, there is a commercial hydroelectric power production deficit of 300 MW. There is untapped potential for commercial geothermal energy production of 10 MW. There is also high potential for wind energy generation and even more potential for solar energy production.
ICT: Public corporation ONATEL (landline, cellular telephony, and internet) is being privatized. The broadband internet market is also largely untapped. There are numerous opportunities available following the installation of fiber optics, including e-administration and e-banking
Despite having a poor infrastructure and lack of advanced technology, Burundi possesses great investment potential given its favorable weather conditions that are perfect for farming and a wide range of tourist attraction sites. More of these opportunities will be expounded on by the procurement body of the country at the Business Expo. Don’t miss it.
