SUMMARY REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF JUNE 18, 2024

In the year two thousand and twenty-four, on the eighteenth day of June, senators gathered in the Senate hemicycle in Gitega for the 195^th plenary session of the sixth legislature relating to:

• the adoption of the modified programme of activities which were planned for the period from June 6 to 18, 2024;

• the presentation of the commentary report of the Court of Auditors on the bill establishing the general budget of the Republic of Burundi 2024-2025;

• the oral question with debate addressed to the three Ministers, namely the Minister responsible for health, the one in charge of trade and the minister of national solidarity.

The session was led by the Senate Speaker, Right Honourable Emmanuel SINZOHAGERA. This session saw the participation of 33 senators, three members of the Government namely Dr Lyduine BARADAHANA, Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, Mrs. Marie Chantal NIJIMBERE, Minister of Commerce, Transport, Industry and Tourism and Mrs. Imelde SABUSHIMIKE, Minister of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender. There was also the President of the Court of Auditors, Mrs. Générose KIYAGO. It began as usual, with a prayer at 9:16 a.m.

Opening the session, the Senate Speaker first welcomed the senators and, subsequently, after the adoption of the modified programme and a word of welcome to the President of the Court of Auditors, the floor was given to her to move on the presentation of the above-mentioned report.

In her comment, the President of the Court of Auditors indicated that the development of the bill establishing the general budget of the Republic of Burundi 2024-2025 is part of the continuation of public finance reforms initiated by the Government through the consolidation and stabilization of public finances, the development of new public finance planning and management tools, in this case the DPBEP, the PIP, the PND, the ministerial CDMT, the SDMT and the PAP of ministries in alignment with national planning documents such as the vision of Burundi as an emerging country by 2040, the revised PND 2018-2027 as well as sectoral policies and strategies.

At the national level, the budget was prepared at a time when the general price level remained on an upward trend. However, inflation fell by 4.4% from 26.1% to 21.7% over the period from January to April 2024. Beneficial measures aimed at the effective and efficient management of public expenditure were introduced.

After the presentation and discussion, senators received the report and continued the session with the last item on the day’s agenda concerning an oral question.

At the end of the answers given by the three Ministers to the question posed to them, questions of general debate animated the rest of the discussions.

Asked about the inventory of fixtures of the implementation of the programme of His Excellency the President of the Republic in the Ministry in charge of social affairs, Imelde SABUSHIMIKE indicated that this vision is being implemented thanks to the reforms that the Ministry has undertaken in the various services, notably the digitalization of services, the development of implementing texts which will implement the Government’s policy of granting the equivalent of the salary to the last month of service, the retirement, reforms to the civil service health insurance (MFP), the INSS and the ONPR.

Concerning the desire of patients to get the services of the civil service health insurance (MFP) closer to hospitals, the Minister responded that a measure in this direction was taken to respond to the grievances of members.

Regarding the complaints of affiliates linked to the lack of medicines in the pharmacies of the civil service health insurance, the Minister of National Solidarity accepts that she is aware of this situation and explains that the causes of this inconvenience of affiliates are external. Either the names of the medicines prescribed on the vouchers do not correspond to the names of the medicines available in the pharmacies of the civil service health insurance, or the absence of medicines in stocks due to the delay in delivery of medicines following long procurement procedures at CAMEBU level with its foreign partners.

As far as the inventory of fixtures of the implementation of His Excellency the President of the Republic programme in the health sector is concerned, Dr Lyduine BARADAHANA indicates that her Ministry has achieved many things in order to achieve the objectives targeted in this programme. Among the achievements, she mentions the building of communal hospitals to facilitate patients’ access to health care, the establishment of the ABREMA centre which controls the quality of medicines entering the country and that of neuropsychiatric centres up to health centres (CDS).

To the question of whether the sellers of traditional medicines who set up almost everywhere are legally recognized by the Ministry in charge of health, Dr Lyduine BARADAHANA replied that the law authorizes the promotion of traditional medicine. She specified however that some of those sellers do it illegally.

As for whether Burundi has a modern national hospital which can provide the necessary care to patients who are often forced to go abroad for treatment, the Minister responded in the negative. However, in the Government’s programme, at least two hospitals will be built in the next three years to resolve this problem.

Regarding the deficiency of the morgues, the Government Representative shares the same observation with senators, but she explains that at the Ministry level, a remedy is already envisaged, among other things the rehabilitation of the morgue of Prince Régent Charles hospital.

For the Ministry in charge of trade, regarding the inventory of fixtures of the implementation of His Excellency the President of the Republic programme, Marie Chantal NIJIMBERE indicated that her Ministry has achieved quite a few things. She mentioned the digitalization of tax payments; the digitalization of technical inspection services; the merger of SOBUGEA and AIR BURUNDI into a single company called BURUNDI AIRLINES with the aim of improving the services offered in air transport; the plan to build the railway; the rehabilitation of the runway of Melchior NDADAYE Airport and that of the Port of Bujumbura as major achievements.

As for whether there would be monitoring mechanisms to enforce prices whose regulation is the responsibility of the Ministry in charge of trade such as Brarudi products, sugar, transport tickets, the Minister replied that monitoring of the implementation of a regulatory measure taken is done through the grassroots administration in collaboration with the police.

To the question of whether Burundi has already started to benefit from the commercial conventions signed with the DRC, Marie Chantal NIJIMBERE responded in the affirmative, specifying that for cross-border trade, traffic with the DRC represents 50%.

As to when the Ministry will set industrial promotion so that the vision “Burundi, an emerging country by 2040” is a reality, the Minister indicated that the train is already in motion. Soon, explains Marie Chantal NIJIMBERE, the establishment of the marble processing industry will begin as well as the revitalization of the EX-VERRUNDI factory.

The session, which took place in a climate of total understanding, was closed at 18:47.