Business

BUJUMBURA, Burundi — The cost of building new homes in Bujumbura jumped 40.4% in June compared with the same month last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Burundi (INSBU). The surge was driven by sharp increases in the prices of materials, labor, and equipment rentals. The June INSBU report shows that...

GATUMBA, Burundi — Non-tariff barriers and costly travel documents are making cross-border trade difficult for women traders in the East African Community (EAC), despite regional commitments to ease movement of goods and people. Members of the East African Legislative Assembly Women’s Caucus (EALA WC) on Thursday visited the Gatumba border between Burundi and the...

The East African Community (EAC) is stepping up efforts to make regional mobile phone roaming cheaper, fairer, and more accessible, following a series of national consultations held in August under the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP). Governments, regulators, and mobile operators across the EAC Partner States met to review and validate proposed...

Lusaka, Zambia — Eight member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) are expected to record sharp declines in trade volumes this year following new reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States, the regional bloc said Friday. The countries most affected include the Democratic Republic of Congo (11% decline), Libya...

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia— Ethiopia’s financial sector is accelerating its shift toward digital transformation, with banking executives, fintech leaders and regulators gathering Wednesday in Addis Ababa for the 23rd Connected Banking Summit. The event, which also featured the Innovation & Excellence Awards 2025, brought together key players to discuss strategies shaping the future of banking...

Bujumbura, Burundi — Burundi’s president Evariste Ndayishimiye, recently welcomed a high-level delegation from the Al Mansour Holding Group in Bujumbura. The delegation, led by His Highness Prince Sheikh Mansour Bin Jabor Bin Jassim Al Thani, arrived to convey Qatar’s continued commitment to investing in Burundi, a country increasingly seen with economic opportunities. The Al Mansour...

KIVUVU, Burundi (July 17, 2025) —All mining operators in Kabarore have been formally instructed to sell their extracted minerals exclusively to Comptoirs Miniers des Exploitations Minières du Burundi (COMEBU), government officials said Thursday. “COMEBU holds exclusive rights to exploit and market minerals in areas where landowners have been compensated,” declared Alain Ndikumana, Head of the Strategic Studies and

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (July 8, 2025) — Leaders from East Africa have raised alarm over fragmented and incompatible digital payment systems that continue to stall the region’s economic potential, calling for urgent legal and regulatory reforms to enable seamless cross-border transactions. At a five-day workshop co-hosted by the East African Community (EAC) and the...

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (Burundi Times) — A high-level regional aviation workshop opened this week in Bujumbura, focusing on the implementation of the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) concept—an initiative aimed at modernizing airspace management, cutting airline operating costs, and unlocking intra-African trade. Organized under the European Union-funded Support to Air Transport Sector Development (SATSD) programme,...

ARUSHA, Tanzania (Burundi Times) — The East African Business Council (EABC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed a $1 million grant agreement aimed at accelerating sustainable industrialization and strengthening manufacturing value chains across East Africa. The funding is expected to enhance regional economic integration, spur growth, and increase the competitiveness of priority...