Country Guides

Country Guide

Burundi

Learn more about the business climate in Burundi, including the political, economic, and social landscape.

Our Country Guides are available in two downloadable formats – a full-length, in-depth Doing Business In guide and a tear sheet, which provides a more concise country overview. Please see below for detail.

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Business in Burundi

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OVERVIEW

Burundi lays in the heart of Africa. As a country located in the center of East Africa, Burundi benefits from a strategic location, crossroads to Rwanda in the north, Tanzania in the south and the east, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lake Tanganyika, respectively in the west and the southwest. This particular location gives access to a young, wide domestic and regional market.

This landlocked country is also known for its multilingual population (Kirundi, Swahili, French and English) and its young and active population.

Burundi guarantees freedom of establishment (guaranties of visas) and non-discrimination policies for any potential investor. The government guarantees safe repatriation of income (foreign employees) and profits (entities) provided all taxes and duties have been paid. There is as well a guarantee of property rights.

Burundi is part of several conventions and treaties ensuring the protection of intellectual property such as the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (March 20, 1977), the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (September 3, 1977), the Berne Convention for the protection of Literary and Artistic Works (April 12, 2016), and the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty (April 12, 2016).

The recent law promulgated in 2021 with regards to investment has highlighted key sectors eligible for investment benefits, including the sectors of agribusiness, manufacturing, infrastructure, transport, energy and mining, tourism, information and communication technology.