Burundian President pays working visit to Tanzania focusing on economic issues

20 Septembre 2020

Bujumbura, Burundi, September 20 (Infosplusgabon) - Burundi's new Head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye, made his first official visit to Tanzania on Saturday, dominated by economic issues between the two neighbours of the East African Community (EAC), said the final communiqué issued on Sunday.

The meeting between President Ndayishimiye and his Tanzanian counterpart, John Pombe Magufuli, took place in Kigoma, a port town on Lake Tanganyika.

The Tanzanian President offered to develop the airport and railway infrastructure of this border town to facilitate the flow of Burundian minerals to the outside world, especially gold and nickel.

Statistics from the public revenue office give the advantage to Tanzania, a country through which more than 95% of Burundi's imports and exports transit.

Burundi's exports consist mainly of coffee (40.6%), tea (16.9%) and tobacco (3.0%).

Petroleum products lead Burundi's imports (17.4%), followed by medicines (5.8%), mineral fertilizers (2.5%) and cement (2.0%).

In 2019, Burundi experienced a 16.8% decline in exports compared with a 3.6% increase in imports.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/ARD/GABON2020

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