Renovation work on the Port of Bujumbura in Burundi, part of a project to develop the regional corridor to Lake Tanganyika, got underway in mid-August. The renovations will cost €79 million (US$84.98 million).

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is providing €23.4 million, and the European Union will contribute €29 million through the AfDB-EU Hub partnership, a framework agreement signed between AfDB and the European Commission in 2017 to fund projects that will have an impact on the continent. The government of Burundi is providing counterpart financing of  €2 million.

The renovation is expected to last for 24 months. This is the first phase of implementation of the Lake Tanganyika Transport Corridor Development Project, and marks a major step towards strengthening Burundi’s transport infrastructure and exploiting the potential of Lake Tanganyika as a navigable inland waterway.

The work includes acquiring equipment for port operations, developing access roads and building staff capacity to manage the port. The project seeks to simplify port activities and encourage female entrepreneurship.

The ultimate objective is to transform the port into a hub linking the main road corridors from the north, centre and south of the country.

The renovation will also support better regional connectivity and strengthen regional trade with the countries that border Lake Tanganyika, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

Transport along the lake corridor suffers from inadequate infrastructure at the ports of Bujumbura, Mpulungu (Zambia), Kalemie (DR Congo) and Kigoma (Tanzania). Also lacking are harmonized measures to facilitate cross-border trade and improve the movement of people.