By Omotayo Edubi
The Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi to Nigeria, Marie Jeanne Ntakirutimana, has requested for investment in the field of agriculture in Burundi.
She made the call in Abuja while briefing journalists ahead of the national day of Burundi on July 1, 2022.
Ntakirutimana said the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, has been making efforts to industrialise Burundi, particularly the agricultural sector.
“That is why we will like to get many in the agricultural sector,” Ntakirutimana said.
Ntakirutimana also said Burundi is highly interested in developing its agricultural sector, saying that the country is blessed with an abundance of agricultural products.
She said the country lacks the industries to transform the agricultural produce into finished products, hence the call for investment in the agricultural sector of Burundi.
“Burundi, our country, wants to develop the agricultural sector. We have many kinds of agricultural produce, but we need industries. We do not have industries to transform them.
“You can see that we have cassava. We need industries to transform them, to keep them because we have a lot of quantity of cassava, but because we do not have the necessary facilities to keep them for a long time, they get destroyed. That is why we need many investors in agriculture,” Ntakirutimana also said.
The envoy further said there was the unavailability of cement in Burundi, saying that the people of Burundi are in need of cement.
She disclosed that Dangote Cement which is available in Burundi is imported through Zambia to Burundi, a situation which makes the cost of cement in the country very high.
Ntakirutimana further said if the Dangote Cement is exported directly to Burundi, the people of Burundi will be better for it.