Burundi
Support for Decentralisation and the Fight against Poverty
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Ten years after the end of the civil war in Burundi, decentralisation is now a crucial element of political reform. The participation of citizens in local development is strengthened through the transfer of decision-making processes from central government to municipal level.
Burundi has already made some early progress towards decentralisation, although it still faces many challenges at both municipal and state level. The Ministry for Planning and Local Development and the Ministry of the Interior do not yet have sufficient capacity to manage political processes. Most staff dealing with decentralisation issues is inexperienced and inadequately trained, as there is still no uniform system of training for local authority employees. A national fund has been established to promote municipal investment and has the potential to greatly enhance development at local authority level. As yet, however, it is barely functional. As a result, local authorities are unable to provide their population with a satisfactory level of basic services in the areas of health, education, drinking water and administration. Without these, sustainable economic development is impossible.
The programme (Programme d’Appui à la Décentralisation et à la Lutte contre la Pauvreté – ADLP) is divided into three main components:
- Support for decentralisation;
- Support for local governance;
- Local economic development.
In these areas, specific activities are being implemented by a consortium led by PEM. Some measures are:
- Supporting the development and implementation of a national training programme for local councils, municipal officials, public authorities and other state actors;
- Advising the national authority charged with administering the municipal investment fund;
- Strengthening provincial and local authority administrations in their efforts to promote local economic development, with a particular emphasis on measures to promote businesses run by women;
- Making professional small agricultural businesses in Gitega province;
- Disseminating innovative agricultural production methods;
- Promoting the cultivation and marketing of new agricultural products.
The programme advises the 11 local authorities with a population of around 715,000 that make up the province of Gitega in the centre of the country. The aim is to involve the population more effectively in local decisions and planning. To this end, the project helps local authorities to become more accountable to their citizens, with a particular focus on transparency.
In the field of rural economic development, the programme supports the dissemination of profitable and innovative production methods. This creates up to 4,000 seasonal jobs and, by helping to increase food security and incomes, contributes to poverty reduction. At the same time, the new methods are specifically designed to help protect natural resources. Together with its partners, the programme has also a significant impact in terms of conflict reduction.
