There are two oil refineries in East Africa – Great Lakes region, one in Kenya and in Tanzania.

Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) currently has a daily crude processing capacity of 2,000 barrels per day.

TIPER Dar-es-Salaam oil refinery can process 17,500 barrels per day.

Burundi has no oil or gas resources, so all petroleum products are imported from Saudi Arabia via Tanzania. As imported petroleum products are supplied via the neighboring countries, their supply is costly and often irregular. The petroleum sector, via its company INTERPETROL, is under the control of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism which supervises oil imports.

Commercial trade and humanitarian assistance to Burundi, the eastern DRC, parts of northern Tanzania and southern Sudan also rely on the Port at Mombasa. These countries are therefore at risk of being with any disruption in supplies.

For information on Burundi Fuel Provider contact details, please see the following link:  4.8 Burundi Additional Service Provision Contact List.

Fuel Pricing

The price of fuel is controlled by the government. The government’s oil price policy is used to keep the selling price constant while adapting the level of taxation to compensate for changes in the world market. The price of fuel at the pumps varies throughout the country.

Valid prices per liter as per 19/10/2020

Updated fuel prices in Burundi at following link

Operation Rates - Burundi Exchange Rate

Seasonal Variations 

There are shortages but this is more to do with actual refining performance from Tanzania & Kenya.

WFP has made an agreement with Tanzanian suppliers, in order to have fuel delivered to Burundi, outside the normal channels.

Fuel Transportation

Fuel is transported by road from Tanzania and Kenya by fuel tankers. Oil products in the region are distributed using two main routes that include the Northern and Southern corridors. The Northern corridor serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DRC and Southern Sudan through the Mombasa port. The Southern Corridor serves Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern DRC through the Dar es Salaam port. Fuel distribution by road is well organized but fuel shortages may occur due to the fuel pipeline having insufficient capacity to meet demand.

 Standards, Quality and Testing

For more information, please see the following links:4.1 Burundi Government Contact Listand 4.6 Burundi Fuel Provider Contact List.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

The transport market is gradually picking up in the country. A couple of nationals have started investing in the private transport sector. Some of them have started becoming members of transport associations in order to profit from their combined efforts. Most of the potential transporters are individuals with trucks to service their private businesses. It’s possible to rent these trucks when they are idle and not engaged in the business of their owners. Some transporters have heavy duty trucks that are mainly used for international transport. The truck rental prices depend on the capacity (tonnage), the distance of the journey and the condition of the road. The smaller the truck the higher the rental costs and the shorter the distance of the journey, the more the cost of the rental.

Truck rental prices vary with the prices varying depending on cost of fuel.  

For information on Burundi transporters contact details and fleet size information, please see the following link: 4.7 Burundi Transporter Contact List.

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.

Workers are legally permitted to form and join unions, although the army, gendarme, and foreign workers are prohibited from unionizing. Urban civil servants make up most union members. Approximately 60% of the 80,000 formal private sector employees and virtually all public sector employees are union members. The current Labor Code permits strikes but only after alternative remedies have been exhausted and six days’ notice given. Unions are permitted to be affiliated with international organizations.

The minimum wage is set at $1.4 to $2.0 per day, depending on the region of the country.

4.1 Burundi Government Contact List

For information on Burundi Telecommunications contact details, please see the following link:  4.8 Burundi Additional Service Provision Contact List.

Telecommunications

Services per Operator

• LUMITEL BURUNDI                                        website: https://www.lumitel.bi/
• ECONET WIRELESS BURUNDI                      website: https://econet.bi/index.php/fr/
• SMART Burundi                                              website: http://www.smart.bi/LetsTalk/
• ONATEL/ONAMOB                                        website: http://www.onatel.bi/

The actual country coverage of telecommunications in Burundi is as follows:

Telephones - fixed lines

Total subscriptions: 24,840.

Phones - mobile cellular

Total subscriptions : 6,317,000.

Phone system

With its population density Burundi is an attractive telecom market in Africa for investors. The government in early 2018 began the Burundi Broadband project, which plans to deliver nationwide connectivity by 2025; mobile operators have launched 4G and LTE mobile services to capitalize on the expanding demand for Internet access (2018).

Internet

Total users: 944,794. Internet service providers (ISP), High Speed Broadband Cable, Wireless, DSL Internet Service: Please consult the following link for more information. 

The fiber optic national network is under construction since 2012 (Backbone Burundi System).

For more detailed information, please consult the following link.

Broadcast media

State-controlled Radio Television Nationale de Burundi (RTNB) operates a TV station and a national radio network; 3 private TV stations and about 10 privately owned radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters are available in Bujumbura (2019). Radio France International is available, as per BBC World Service, in both English and Kirundi. Foreign news coverage is licensed from French television. Burundi’s main news agency is the state-owned Association Burundaise de Presse. Newspaper circulation figures are tiny, and negligible outside Bujumbura. Le Renouveau is the government newspaper.

Burundi Postal Administration is under the authority of the Ministry of Communications, Information Technologies & Media. A Board of Directors, appointed upon proposal by the Minister, establishes the policy of the Postal Administration and decides on any issue submitted by the Management. The mission of the Postal Administration is to organize, manage and operate the mail collection and exchange network over the national territory and between the postal administrations of country members of the Universal Postal Union. The Postal Administration is now offering Internet Services, through the Cyber Post.

Telecommunication Regulations

No restriction of communication equipment importation except for a VSAT, Mobile Satellite Phones, which requires approval and release by the ARCT (Agence de la Régulation des Contrôles de Télécommunications). Submission of declaration is also needed to clear the goods from the customs.

This should be obtained from the relevant ministries (Defense & Foreign Affairs).

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

The UN Security Cell has implemented a VHF communication network covering the whole country. The UN agencies have their own channel and can use the existing communication network. Communication is not reliable due to the hills and mountains in the country, as several repeater stations need to be fixed to ensure better coverage of the country.

Main Food Suppliers

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural, accounting for 50% of GDP in 2017 and employing more than 90% of the population. Subsistence agriculture accounts for 90% of agriculture. Burundi's primary exports are coffee and tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, though exports are a relatively small share of GDP. Other agricultural products include cotton, tea, maize, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk and hides.

Approximately 80% of Burundi's population lives in poverty. Famines and food shortages have occurred throughout Burundi, most notably in the 20th century, and according to the World Food Programme, 56.8% of children under age five suffer from chronic malnutrition. Burundi's export earnings – and its ability to pay for imports – rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices.

The purchasing power of most Burundians has decreased as wage increases have not kept up with inflation. As a result of deepening poverty, Burundi will remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors. Foreign aid represents 42% of Burundi’s national income, the second highest rate in Sub-Saharan Africa.

There are five major marketing regions in the country, namely the north-eastern, north-central, west- central and western regions. Markets in Bujumbura City dominate trade although Gitega and Ngozi have large markets that serve as transit points for food commodities as well as trade centers for their provinces.

Volatility of rice prices could be explained by the fact that most of the rice consumed in urban areas where most of the large markets are located is imported.

Accommodation

Although accommodations in rural areas can be spartan, Bujumbura hosts several international-grade hotels. Nonetheless, UNDSS has validated a list of hotels/accommodations: for more information see the following information.

Additional Operational Support

The Burundi industry is mainly an agriculture-based industry or what might be called agroindustry. Industry in Burundi is engaged in processing agricultural raw materials. The Bujumbura district is the hub of industrial activity. The industrial sector contributes around 18% of the total GDP.

The process industries deal in coffee, tea, cotton, timber and edible oils. There are numerous small-scale industries which manufacture items of daily use like shoes, furniture, soap, goods made of metal and insecticides. The industrial sector in Burundi suffered a bad spate during the war and the consequent imposition of sanctions. It took its toll on the foreign exchange and the growth of the domestic market was hampered. The growth of the industrial sector depends upon the availability of developed infrastructure as well as stable political set up to support such growth.

Waste Management and Disposal Services

Bujumbura, the Capital, has a huge problem with waste management. To solve problems with pollution, a lot of work has to be done. One challenge is to find a good solution for the solid waste pollution in Bujumbura city, but the biggest challenges will be to manage air pollution and ground water pollutions. Burundi cities also lack solid waste disposal units; the uncollected waste-water is channelled through open grounds, settlements, agricultural land and eventually flows in open clean water.

SETEMU (Services Techniques Municipaux) is a department attached to the municipality of Bujumbura, the contact number is +257 22224927 and BGC (Bujumbura Garbage Collection) is a privately owned company based in Bujumbura but operating in all provinces in Burundi, the contact number is +257 22210019. Most of the solid wastes is composed of poisonous and acidic materials such as asplastic, rubber, metal, textile, waster, animal waste and grass and is mixed with water sources which are the inflows of Lake Tanganyika from which all drinking water of Bujumbura is drawn.

The big quantity of solid waste in town generates many problems in the city as far as management is concerned.

There are 3 waste management systems in place:

At household level

It is the responsibility of the household to keep their solid waste inside their plot/fences waiting for its collection; Garbage collecting is carried out once per week,

Garbage collection and dumping

Collected waste is forwarded to a dump not landscaped. It is a clayey and marshy ground where waste is deposited in bulk. Waste does not undergo any treatment; it is also frequent to meet deposits of waste through the city mainly around the markets and other Community equipment.

Solid waste treatment 

The town of Bujumbura does not have appropriate solid waste management system. Solid waste is discharged in disorder on a non-organized site and do not undergo any treatment. The following companies are active in waste disposal activities in Burundi: SETEMU (Services Techniques Municipaux) is a department attached to the municipality of Bujumbura, the contact number is +257 22224927 and BGC (Bujumbura Garbage Collection) is a privately owned company based in Bujumbura but operating in all provinces in Burundi, the contact number is +257 22210019.

For Burundi Additional Service Provider Additional Details, please see the following link: Annex 4.8 Burundi Additional Service Provision Contact List.