Bujumbura : street vendors – “We no longer survive, we’re enduring”

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, July 29, 2025 – Faced with soaring prices, women street vendors in Bujumbura, the commercial capital of Burundi, are struggling to survive. Their small businesses, the economic engine for their families, are no longer enough to cover basic needs. These are poignant accounts of a daily life that has become uncertain.

While they once lived off their small businesses, many women say they can no longer make ends meet.

Rotting fruit, fading hopes

Éliane Munezero, a seller of ripe bananas in the Gihosha neighborhood, in the north of the commercial city, says :

“Bananas ripen quickly. If I don’t sell them on time, they rot. And since customers are scarce due to the prices and the poverty in families these days, I lose a good portion of my merchandise.”

She admits that she sometimes throws away more than half of her stock, despite discounts at the end of the day :

“It’s wasted money. Even when I lower the prices, there aren’t always buyers.”

Selling without earning anything

Dancile Nizigama, a resident of Buterere, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Bujumbura, sells sugarcane on the streets. She faces the same reality :

“Before, everything was sold in two days. These last few days, I’ve had difficulty finding customers. I sometimes go home without selling anything,” she says, visibly exhausted.

Charcoal is expensive, and so is corn.

For Sandrine Kaneza, a roasted corn seller in Kamenge, north of Bujumbura, daily life has become unbearable:

“My business supplemented the income of my husband, the driver. He paid the rent, I bought food. Now, even lighting the fire is a risk. Corn is expensive, and sometimes I don’t sell anything.”

In a tight voice, she adds :

“Money is tight. Life has become too expensive. We, small traders go hungry. And if a child gets sick, there’s panic.”

Inflation : everyone pays the price

Even consumers confirm the harshness of the situation. Claude Ndayizeye, whom we met at the Kamenge market, recounts :

“I often ate bananas for lunch. It was simple, quick, and affordable. But today, a single banana costs up to 500 francs.” Before, with 1,000 BIF, I could buy three or four. Now, I’m even hesitant to buy one.”

Calls for help

Street vendors say they are exhausted and are calling on the authorities to take action against soaring prices. They fear they will no longer be able to feed their families if nothing is done to stabilize the cost of living.

“We endure, but we no longer survive,” says Éliane, her eyes fixed on her basket of unsold fruit.