The African Development Bank on June 26 officially handed over educational and technical equipment worth $3 million to the RUSI Public Polytechnic and Vocational Retraining Center during a ceremony in Karuzi province attended by President Évariste Ndayishimiye, senior government officials and development partners.
The equipment, described by officials as modern and customized, was provided under the Bank-financed Agropastoral Entrepreneurship and Professional Development Project for Youth and Women (PEAPJF), which aims to strengthen skills development and employment opportunities, particularly for young people and women.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ndayishimiye expressed gratitude to the African Development Bank for its support, describing the project as a milestone for Burundi’s development efforts.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” the president said. “History will remember that you helped us build the foundation of an emerging Burundi and a developed Burundi. History will remember that you were the first to support this initiative.”
The RUSI center, also known as CEFORE-RUSI, is designed as a platform for professional training in agropastoral, technical and entrepreneurial fields. It forms part of the African Development Bank’s broader support to the government’s Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Program (PAEEJ), which focuses on training, entrepreneurship and innovation to address youth unemployment.
Pascal Yembiline, the Bank Group’s country manager for Burundi, said investing in young people is central to the country’s long-term development ambitions.
“Burundi, like many African countries, benefits from a major demographic asset with a young population, offering a real opportunity to realize its vision of emergence by 2040 and development by 2060,” Yembiline said. “For this potential to become a lever for inclusive growth, it is essential to invest in human capital.”
He said the equipment handed over — for both classroom instruction and agropastoral production units — is expected to help position the RUSI center as a regional hub linking technical training with entrepreneurship.
The PEAPJF project, which includes the construction and equipping of the RUSI center, was launched in October 2023. According to the African Development Bank, implementation progress is considered satisfactory, with a disbursement rate of 48.1%.
With the new support, CEFORE-RUSI is now equipped with laboratory facilities, production materials for multiple sectors and digital infrastructure connected to an e-learning platform, officials said.
To ensure the sustainability of the investment, Yembiline outlined several recommendations, including rigorous maintenance of the facilities, promotion of public-private partnerships to add value to products developed on the center’s 142-hectare site, and positioning the center as a space for innovation and business incubation.
He also called for the strengthening of human resources through the recruitment of qualified trainers, the development of training-related tourism and the construction of housing for staff.
Officials said these measures are intended to help transform CEFORE-RUSI into a center of excellence capable of generating long-term economic opportunities for Burundi’s youth.
