BUJUMBURA November 20th (ABP) – Burundi Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Jean-Marie Niyokindi officially launched in Bujumbura on Monday, the World Entrepreneurship Week, 2019 edition, organized by the Burundi Business Incubator (BBIN), under the theme “Inclusive Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development”.
The main objective of the week is to mobilize young entrepreneurs on this theme, in order to foster the emergence of a generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and change makers. Mr. Niyokindi is convinced that this is a week of promoting entrepreneurship, a key factor in private sector development.
Through the Burundi National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2027, the government of Burundi is aimed at “promoting the integral development of the rural area and make Burundi an emerging regional power by 2027, driven by sources of diversified and sustainable growth, creating added value and jobs and ensuring that every Burundian has adequate access to basic social services and decent housing,” said Minister Niyokindi. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism has also adopted a national strategy for private sector development, one of whose strategic objectives is the support for entrepreneurship. The four strategic sub-objectives identified as vital for strengthening entrepreneurship are: improving national infrastructures, improving access to finance, human capital development and access to information.
Despite some macroeconomic indicators that tend to rank Burundi among the least economically developed countries, it should be noted that the country has a number of assets that can propel it rapidly towards harmonious development. Minister Niyokindi has no doubt that the efforts made by BBIN in Burundi will contribute to the implementation of those development tools. He said the Burundi government acknowledges and supports the vision of World Entrepreneurship Week, a movement established in 2008 to celebrate the entrepreneur and above all to encourage entrepreneurial spirit. He congratulated BBIN, which, as the first incubator in Burundi, organized World Entrepreneurship Week for the first time in Burundi in 2018, in order to foster the emergence of the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and change makers. BBIN has undertaken a remarkable work to support small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs in Burundi, said Mr. Niyokindi. He estimated that Burundi’s entrepreneurs have talents they can highlight in the service of Burundian society, both in the primary sector and in the secondary and tertiary sectors.
On his part, BBIN Executive Committee Chair Gabin Simbananiye said that to achieve its goal, Global Entrepreneurship Week has four orientations: inspiring, restoring, mentoring and engaging. He pointed out that Burundian entrepreneurs have talents and that they put them at the service of the society, as well in the sectors of the traditional economy, such as the post-harvest transformation or in the innovative technological activities, the social and strong economy, and the environmental protection. He thanked the Government of Burundi for supporting the development of the private sector in general and small and medium-sized enterprises in particular. He also expressed his thanks to the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi that sponsored the organization of that activity dedicated to entrepreneurship at the global level.
