SUMMARY REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF JUNE 16, 2021 RELATING TO THE CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION OF TWO BILLS

In the year two thousand and twenty-one, on the sixteenth day of June, senators met in the Senate Chamber for the 46^th plenary session of the sixth legislature to consider and adopt the following two bills:

1. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of Loan Agreement No.     13606P between the Republic of Burundi and the OPEC(Organization of the     Petroleum Exporting Countries) Fund for     International Development    (OFID) relating to the project to intensify agricultural production and    Vulnerability Reduction in Burundi (PIPARV-B) signed in Vienna on    February 01, 2021

2. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Financing Agreement     between the Republic of Burundi and the African Development Bank (ADB),     in favour of the project to support the sustainable development of the     agriculture and livestock value chains in Burundi (PADCAE-B), signed on     December 18, 2018

The session was chaired by the Right Honourable Senate Speaker, Mr. Emmanuel SINZOHAGERA. It was attended by 33 senators and the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Development Cooperation, Mr. Domitien NDIHOKUBWAYO, representative of the Government. As usual, the session began with a prayer, at 9:48 am.

Opening the session, the Right Honourable Speaker of the Senate first welcomed Senators as well as the Representative of the Government. Then, he invited the Minister responsible for Finance to present the preamble of the aforementioned bills. He first started with the bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of Loan Agreement No. 13606P between the Republic of Burundi and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) relating to the project to intensify agricultural production and Vulnerability Reduction in Burundi (PIPARV-B) signed in Vienna on February 01, 2021

In his presentation, Minister Domitien NDIHOKUBWAYO pointed out that the loan agreement between the Republic of Burundi and the OPEP Fund for International Development for an amount of US $ 20 million constitutes additional funding for the Project of intensification of agricultural production and reduction of vulnerability in Burundi (PIPARV-B). This Financing Agreement was signed between the Government and OFID on February 1, 2021 in Vienna.

This is a co-financing representing the share acquired from OFID i.e. 19.8% of the total financing of USD  $ 101 million, whose investment costs represent 96%. The OFID loan was intended to supplement the resources necessary for the implementation of PIPARV-B which the Government formulated in collaboration with IFAD (Grant n° 2000002606) and which was already launched on December 4, 2019; he indicated.

He added that the objective of PIPARV-B is to contribute to improving the living conditions and resilience of the populations of the central Burundian plateau through an integrated land management approach through an optimal use of natural resources adapted to an increasing demographic pressure. In addition, the project operates in five provinces and 20 communes including 218 villages of the central plateau distributed as follows:

– Gitega Province: Bukirasazi, Giheta, Gishubi, Itaba, Makebuko, Nyarusange    and Ryansoro communes;

– Karuzi Province: Gihogazi, Mutumba and Shombo communes;

– Kayanza Province: Gatara, Kabarore, Kayanza and Matongo communes;

– Ngozi Province: Marangara, Mwumba and Nyamurenza communes;

– Muyinga Province: Gasorwe, Giteranyi and Muyinga communes.

After this presentation of the preamble, the floor was given to the Honourable Fabrice NKURUNZIZA, Chairman of the Standing Committee in charge of Economic Affairs, Environment, Finance and Budget, a committee notified for the subject matter, to present the report of the work done with the Minister on this bill.

After the presentation of the report, the Right Honourable Speaker of the Senate gave the opportunity to the people representatives to give their contribution under the general debate.

After this fruitful exchange, the bill was put to a vote and was unanimously adopted by 39 voting senators, 33 of whom were present and 6 proxies.

After this adoption, the Senate Speaker invited again the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning to present the preamble of the second bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Financing Agreement between the Republic of Burundi and the African Bank for Sustainable Development of Agricultural and Livestock Value Chains of Burundi (PADCAE-B), signed on December 18, 2018.

In his presentation, the Minister pointed out that the Financing Agreement for the Support Project for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Livestock Value Chains in Burundi (PADCAE-B) is concluded for a total amount of 16, UA 47 million. He said that this project is co-financed by Grant N° 2100155040872 whose agreement is concluded between the Republic of Burundi and the African Development Fund (ADF) for an amount of UA 9.37 million and by Grant N° 5900155016407 whose agreement is concluded between the Republic of Burundi and the African Development Bank (ADB) for an amount of UA 5.63 million. For all of these Grant Agreements, the ADB and the ADF are collectively referred to as the “Fund” and act as administrators of the Transition Support Facility (TAF); he clarified.

He added that Burundi’s counterpart include resources to be borne by the Government which amount to UA 1 million and the beneficiaries’ share to UA 0.47 million.

Given that agriculture and livestock are one of the priority sectors defined by the National Development Plan (PND) Burundi 2018-2027, the project aims at promoting intensive and modernized agriculture to ensure food security and promote market agriculture. It is part of this dynamic and will intervene in Ngozi, Kirundo and Muyinga provinces; he mentioned.

The general objective of the project is to make a lasting contribution to the improvement of  food and nutritional security and to the increasing of the populations’  income and its interventions will be mainly focused on a limited number of value chains (rice, corn, goats, Pigs and Fish) identified by the beneficiaries; he stressed.

Following this preamble, the Senate Speaker gave the Honourable senators the opportunity to speak in the general debate and ask clarification questions.

To the question to know the criteria for setting up NGOs in different localities of the country, the Minister replied that this is a major concern of the Government. He added that the State has already put in place the mapping in charge of monitoring NGOs that are in each province in order to avoid those which can gather in the same locality for the same projects.

To the question to know what the Government is doing to ensure that the deadlines for the projects’ implementation are met, the Minister emphasized that measures have already been taken for the smooth running of activities.

At the end of the discussions, the Honourable senators made a recommendation to the Government to organize training for executives recruited to work in projects in order to make them more efficient and equipped.

Afterwards, the bill was put to a vote and was unanimously adopted by the 39 voting senators, of whom 33 were present and 6 proxies.

The session, which took place in a very relaxed atmosphere, ended at 11:30 am with a prayer.