In Burundi, almost all manufactured consumer goods are imported. Examples: in 2019, the import of pharmaceutical products cost US$ 62 million; US$ 55 million was the value of imported iron and steel; the import of textiles was valued at US$ 52 million, and the fertilizers cost US$ 27 million, etc.

Such figures offer full opportunities for local, regional and international investors. They could then start developping in ZES Burundi (Zone Economique Speciale Burundi) manufacturing plants and commercial agriculture. Thank to ZES Burundi, facilities for agro-processing industries (or any kind of processing industry) and their direct connection to international markets are provided so that produced goods reach their destination without going through many intermediaries.

Several factors could interest investors in Burundi: hard working and competitive labour in terms of wages; excellent locations with good market access in DRC, Zambia and Tanzania and unmatched resource endowment – minerals, agricultural, water, forestry and more yet to be discovered.

As a member of EAC and CEMAC, Burundi is a link between East and Central Africa (two regions which are ever green of typical equatorial climate with temperatures hovering around the 28 degrees throughout the year).

More importantly, this country has 1,140 km (710miles) of land border: 236 km (147miles) of which is shared with the DRC (88 million people), Tanzania (55 million people) and Zambia (15million), and to the wider COMESA with a combined population of over 530 million people.