Burundi Times

The World Bank is pushing developing countries to adopt practical artificial intelligence tools to improve productivity and help small businesses grow, but inadequate electricity, internet connectivity and digital skills remain major barriers to wider ado…

The World Bank Group mobilised $112 billion in private capital in the latest fiscal year, more than three times the amount recorded four years earlier, but financing for the world’s poorest countries remained at about $3 billion, President Ajay Banga said…

The World Bank’s initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 has reached 59 million people, President Ajay Banga said Friday, while warning that access alone will not meet the continent’s growing demand for reliable power.

Burundi’s economic growth is projected to slow to 3.6% in 2026 before recovering to 4.7% in 2027, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund’s October 2026 Regional Economic Outlook, as the fund warns that declining foreign aid is adding to…

The East African Community’s push toward a political confederation is facing gaps in public consultation, with an East African Legislative Assembly committee warning that limited funding and delays are preventing citizens in some member states from meanin…

An East African Legislative Assembly member has urged the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers to act on measures for persons with disabilities, citing a regional bill passed in 2016 that has not become law.

Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila has been named leader of a new political-military coalition that includes figures from the M23 rebel movement, deepening his confrontation with President Félix Tshisekedi and potentially complicating efforts to end…

Burundi on Tuesday marks 65 years since the assassination of Prince Louis Rwagasore, a leading figure in the country’s independence movement who was killed less than a year before Burundi gained independence from Belgian rule.

Nearly 2,700 Burundian children abandoned school during the 2025-2026 academic year to seek work in Tanzania, where traffickers lure and exploit young people with false employment promises, according to a U.S.

An East African regional lawmaker is seeking parliamentary approval to introduce a bill that would classify qualifying flights between partner states as domestic services, in a proposed overhaul of regional aviation aimed at reducing travel costs ahead of…

The African Union has called for stronger regional and international cooperation to prevent migrant deaths after a boat capsized off Djibouti, killing dozens of people, including children.

Burundian authorities have arrested 13 people suspected of espionage, document forgery and supporting armed groups operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, alleging that the network used counterfeit documents and fundraising channels to facilita…

Burundi’s anti-corruption watchdog OLUCOME has raised questions over an alleged transfer of between $100,000 and $500,000 from the National Post Office to the United States, saying the transaction reportedly proceeded after the central bank cancelled an e…

Burundi had not completed several components of a regional project to integrate East African payment systems when its main grant closed in June, prompting regional lawmakers to call for an accountability audit and a plan to finish the outstanding work.

East African Legislative Assembly Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana criticized the absence of ministers responsible for East African Community affairs during a plenary sitting in Arusha on Thursday 8th, questioning how the bloc’s executive leadership could acc…

The World Food Programme is seeking $26 million to prepare for and respond to El Niño in Burundi, warning that more than 1 million people already facing crisis-level hunger or worse are threatened by flooding, landslides and crop losses.

Burundi surrendered a two-goal lead but held Algeria to a 2-2 draw in Bujumbura on Tuesday, earning its first point of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after a fast start that briefly put the visitors under serious pressure.

Burundi’s Senate unanimously adopted a bill on Tuesday establishing a legal right of access to public information, according to a post on the Senate’s official X account.

Burundi will require property owners along roads chosen for paving to contribute toward construction costs, a plan that adds a new direct charge on households even as the government collects two other road-related levies whose actual revenue has rarely be…

More than €814,000 belonging to the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) was stolen in a cybercrime operation in June 2024 and transferred to Poland, the central bank has confirmed, but more than two years later the money has not been recovered and the p…

Burundi’s Central Bank (BRB) needs stronger data systems and specialized expertise to assess risks in the banking sector, according to an International Monetary Fund technical assistance report published this month.

Burundi’s National Forces of Liberation, or FNL, has endorsed President Évariste Ndayishimiye for the May 3, 2027, presidential election, once again putting the party behind the CNDD-FDD’s candidate rather than presenting its own contender.

Tanzania punched its ticket to the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, beating Burundi 2-0 in the CECAFA Under-20 semifinal to reach the regional final.

East African countries are moving to align their digital infrastructure and regulations, as the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) press for greater coordination on connectivity and cross-border trade.

GENEVA — The United Kingdom has raised concerns about human rights in Burundi ahead of the country’s 2027 presidential election, citing reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and restrictions on fundamental freedom…

UNITED NATIONS — The heads of OpenAI and Anthropic warned the U.N.

NEW YORK — Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye called Wednesday for permanent African representation on the U.N.

Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye used his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to condemn xenophobia and intolerance, calling on governments to protect social cohesion as African migrants face growing hostility in parts of the continen…

East African countries are converging on a common climate position ahead of COP31, the UN’s 31st climate conference, with farmers and regional experts calling for adaptation, climate finance and smallholder resilience to anchor the region’s global climate…

President Donald Trump has proposed replacing the term “artificial intelligence” with “superintelligence,” while opposing international efforts to impose tighter controls on the technology’s development.

The East African Community is seeking about $45 million to strengthen the region’s ability to detect and respond to Ebola and other high-consequence infectious diseases, as the bloc expands its network of mobile laboratories and trains health workers acro…