Burundi Assessment

In the most recent Doing Business report, issued in September 2008, Burundi ranked 177th - a poor showing that the government has already vowed to improve. The passage of the Arusha Agreement on peace and reconciliation in 2000 ushered in a renewed sense of hope for political and economic reform in Burundi. The Interim Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (Interim PRSP), which resulted from the Arusha Agreement, calls for a stabilized macroeconomic framework, poverty reduction, and improvements in human capital. Burundi's government, private sector, and work force - along with a large donor community - are now striving to overcome a legacy of poverty, one that is uniquely complicated by the country's recent long history of war and conflict.

Improving the business environment in order to open the door to greater investment, both by locals and foreigners, in a variety of sectors will be key to giving the Burundian population the tools and opportunities necessary to move beyond this legacy towards stable economic growth.