SUMMARY REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF JUNE 13, 2023

The year two thousand and twenty-three, on the thirteenth day of June, senators met in the Senate hemicycle for the 140^th plenary session of the sixth legislature in order to listen to the comment report of the President of the Audit Court on the bill fixing the general budget of the Republic of Burundi for the 2023-2024 financial year.

This session, which was chaired by the Senate First Deputy speaker, Honourable Denise NDADAYE, was attended by 25 senators and the President of the Audit Court, Mrs. Générose KIYAGO. This session began as usual with a prayer at 9:33 a.m.

Opening the session, the Senate First Deputy speaker first welcomed the senators and the distinguished guest of the day, before giving her the floor to present the comment report on the bill establishing the general budget of the State.

In her presentation, the President of the Audit Court informed the senators that the bill fixing the General Budget of the Republic of Burundi for the financial year 2023-2024 is prepared within the framework of the continuing the implementation of reforms regarding the public finance management aimed at switching the budget to programme mode.

It is a proposed budget which preparation was inspired by the document « Vision Burundi emerging country in 2040 and developed country in 2060 », she said.

At the international level, she continues, the 2023-2024 proposed budget was prepared in a context of general slowdown because according to the World Bank data, global growth fell by 6.0% in 2021 and 3.2 % in 2022 while global inflation increased by 4.7% in 2021 and 8.8% in 2022.

At the end of the presentation, questions and contributions were expressed by the senators as part of the general debate for more understanding.

Regarding the concern of senators that the budget deficit for the 2023-2024 financial year seems very enormous, Mrs. Générose KIYAGO replied that the concern is justified compared to that of the previous financial year. She added however that taking into account the economic growth-enhancing investment projects planned in various sectors and the logic in which the budget is prepared, the deficit should not cause concern.

With regard to the origin of the financing of this deficit mentioned, namely the internal and external debt as well as advances to the Central Bank (BRB), the President of the Audit Court explained that measures encouraging economic operators to produce more and the outcome of the investment projects that will be carried out will no doubt help to reduce this deficit and hence reduce the indebtedness.

To the question in relation to exemptions, the answer was that exemptions themselves normally do not cause problems except in the case where they are diverted for other purposes, since they are granted after analysis of the added-value that they are likely to bring to the country.

Concerning the senators’ desire for the need to set up a commission to monitor the implementation of achieving texts on the one hand and their fulfilment on the other hand at the level of the Audit Court, to help the Parliament in the evaluation of the execution of the budget law, Mrs. Générose KIYAGO shared the idea with the senators and accepted it, while specifying that it falls within their missions to be the eye of the Parliament.

In this very logic, says Mrs. Générose KIYAGO, the Court intends to prepare quarterly and semi-annual reports on the execution of the budget to enlighten the Parliament in order to be able to react in time.

The session, which took place in a climate of perfect understanding  ended at 11:26 a.m. with a prayer.