28 June 2025 (BUJUMBURA, Burundi) — IRRI joins Burundi’s Diplomatic Week, bringing together over 200 diplomats representing the Burundian Government and diplomatic missions in the country. A major highlight of the engagement is a tour of IRRI’s regional crop improvement hub, where guests witnessed how IRRI significantly contributed to the vision of Burundi to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060. With the theme “Fruitful Partnership for an Emerging Burundi: Economic Diplomacy, the Driving Force of Sustainable and Inclusive Development”, IRRI was invited by Burundi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation as a key partner, signaling the renewal of an even stronger partnership between the two institutions.
“Burundi, which aspires to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed one by 2060, anchors this national vision largely on the modernization of agriculture, the development of human capital, and scientific innovation. IRRI plays a key role in this dynamic move by addressing the major challenges facing rice farming.”, stated Audace Manirambona, the Rector of the University of Burundi. “In partnership with the University of Burundi, where it is hosted, IRRI also contributes to training the next generation of scientists by supervising students during their internships and final year projects, thereby strengthening national capacities for sustainable and inclusive development.”, he added.
“Being a part of this year’s Diplomatic Week shows the alignment of IRRI and Burundi’s goals which is to achieve food, nutrition, and income security.”, said IRRI Regional Breeding Lead and Seed System and Product Management Lead for East and Southern Africa Dr. Ajay Panchbhai. He also highlighted the importance of the Host Country Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Burundi signed back in 2018. “This allowed us to position our Burundi Office as the regional crop improvement hub, which will significantly help us in our joint goal of transforming the future of rice-based agri-food systems in Africa.”
After the opening session, the delegation visited IRRI’s facilities at the Regional Crop Improvement Office located at the University of Burundi’s Faculty of Agronomy and Bio - Engineering (FABI). Herein, the visitors were introduced to IRRI’s ongoing works about breeding, agronomy, mechanization, plant pathology, capacity building and variety development with rapid generation enhancement systems as well as corporate services.
Burundi’s rice sector is facing challenges such as lack of high-performance varieties, low production, biotic and abiotic stresses, and overexploitation of available small land areas. “To address these challenges, IRRI-Burundi is developing approximately 50 rice elite breeding lines each year, including high-yielding lines that are resilient to the effects of climate change. Furthermore, from 2008 to the present day, 47,224 rice farmers have been trained in rice production and quality seed production technologies. In collaboration with the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), 19 new rice varieties have been released in Burundi and 17 others have been released in other African countries from the IRRI regional hub in Bujumbura”, shared IRRI Country Representative for Burundi, Dr. Ir. Joseph Bigirimana.
Bigirimana also mentioned that IRRI’s ongoing projects in Burundi such as Projet d’Appui au Développement des Chaînes de valeur de l’Agriculture et de l’Elevage au Burundi [Project Supporting the Development of Agricultural and Livestock Value Chains in Burundi], which is funded by the African Development Bank and the Projet d’Appui à l’Amélioration de la Riziculture en République du Burundi [Project Supporting the Improvement of Rice Cultivation in the Republic of Burundi], which is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are all manifestations of fruitful diplomatic partnerships and IRRI’s commitment to supporting the country’s development goals.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Ferdinand Bashikako, Ambassador of Belgium in Burundi (who represented the Diplomatic Corps) Michael Wimmer, and Dr. Ajay Panchbhai signed the IRRI – Burundi Office’s Livre d'Or [guestbook]. The full delegation consisted of members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Honorary Consuls of Burundi abroad, Representatives of Regional and International Organizations, and Heads of Cooperation Offices. The 2-day affair ended with a celebration of the 63rd Anniversary of the Republic of Burundi’s Independence.