بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Failure of the Vision Burundi 2025
News:
Following the Arusha Peace Accord in 2000, the Burundi 2025 Vision which aimed to provide Burundians with a sustainable development was initiated in 2003. However, as it is in its final year of implementation none of it’s objectives have been achieved.
Comment:
Burundi, which gained its flag independence in 1962 from Belgium, went through many ethnic conflicts based on tribalism that finally led to a brutal civil war spanning 12 years from 1993. At last in the year 2000 after a series of negotiations of long process of political transition in Tanzania, Arusha Agreement was adopted that came up with the Vision 2025.
The vision has set the essentials on three objectives, which are: installation of good governance, development of a strong and competitive economy and improvement of the living conditions of the people of Burundi.
On the installation of good governance, the government aimed at fighting corruption and forming an inclusive government for all. The situation on the ground is in contrary with this. According to the Freedom House Report 2024, corruption has increased in Burundi that earned 4 points in 2024 from 3 points in 2000. Burundi is consistently ranked among the most corrupt in the world.
Also, there is an existence of high social division in Burundi society based on tribalistic lines especially among the main two tribes: Hutu and Tutsi. For instance, opposition mainly Tutsi and their supporters face harassments, intimidations and even assassinations forcing many of them to operate in exile.
The issue of developing a strong and competitive economy also proved to be in failure. The government aimed to redress the negative trends in GDP per capita that the country has experienced for a long period of more than a decade, ensuring its rise from USD137 to USD720 in 2025, to reduce the rate of poverty and increase the rate of economic growth to an average of 10%.
The GDP per capital was USD 362 in 2023, USD 320 in 2024 and USD 156 in 2025 this shows that attainment of USD 720 GDP per capital is impossible in 2025. The average economic growth rate was 4.6% in 2024 and 5.9% in 2025 meaning than 10% growth have not been reached. Burundi is still among the poor countries in the world implying that the government has failed to improve the living conditions of the people as planned in their Vision 2025.
In fact, leaders within the ruling party CNDD–FDD and many state officials have prioritized control over economic resources to sustain their regime and fulfil their personal economic aspirations rather than serving the people.
Regarding the improvement of the living conditions, things have not improved. Many Burundians are suffering from unemployment, while agriculture remains to be their main economic activity employing 90% of the population with primitive subsistence farming.
Access to health care is in quagmire, since the government still devotes minor budget, while it has become further difficult to majority Burundians following state adoption of a cost recovery system in February 2002. Patients regardless of their means must pay all medical consultations, tests, medicines, staying at hospital, etc. (The British Journal of Practice).
Furthermore, Burundi is plagued with a lack of medical trained staff, many of them either working for private institutions or jumping to neighboring Rwanda for green pastures (Human Right Watch). A large portion of the population since lives below the poverty line, by which is difficult for them to afford decent housing.
According to the 2018 World Happiness Report, Burundi ranked among the top of least happy nations. Not to mention that Burundi had a target to develop human capital which is the richest asset of nation, but by adopting a capitalist viewpoint it abandons the plans, instead reducing population growth from 2.5% to 2% a year.
As many other developing countries, Burundi is rich having population of about 14 millions, arable land for agriculture by which produces the best quality type of coffee in the world (arabica), natural forests estimated 172,000 hectares with more than 2,500 plant species and hard wood, variety of wildlife resources, water resources like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Rweru and Lake Cyohoha, estimated 180 million tons of nickel reserves, gold deposits, etc.
Despite all the above, surprisingly Burundi is widely known as one of the poorest nations with no hope. The failure of Burundi and all developing countries is highly contributed by the colonial capitalism ideology in which Western colonial countries are exploiting and colonize poor countries through neo colonialism.
Burundi has been forced in ethnic civil war by America on one side, and Europeans under Britain on the other side, imposing leadership through military coups and assassinations favoring the two colonial masters by the cost of Burundians.
Capitalism ideology from the once Belgium brutal colony and the current neo colonialism of USA and Europe failed Burundi, and it would not never recover under empty slogan of Vision 2025. What would liberate Burundi and other developing nations is to get rid from barbaric exploitative capitalism ideology, then adopting fair and just system of Islam under its Khilafah (Caliphate) state as alternative.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Said Bitomwa
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Tanzania