Agricultural financing in Burundi : PATAREB and PADCAE-B under pressure following revelations by the court of auditors

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, May 4, 2026 — The projects supporting agricultural transformation in the Bugesera natural region (PATAREB) and supporting the sustainable development of agricultural and livestock value chains in Burundi (PADCAE-B), financed respectively by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank (WB), are the focus of criticism from the lower house of the Burundian Parliament.

These two programs were recently audited by the Court of Auditors, which highlighted performance deemed insufficient in relation to the established objectives. The findings of this audit were examined during a question period held on April 29, 2026, at the National Assembly.

Before members of parliament, the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture, and Livestock, Ms. Calinie Mbarushimana, acknowledged that the results fell short of expectations. She attributed these underperformances to several factors, including staff instability in project implementation, a lack of harmonization of technical studies, and an insufficient number of qualified personnel.

The members of parliament, for their part, pointed out several shortcomings already noted by the Court of Auditors, including weak feasibility studies, persistent structural dysfunctions, and a lack of rigorous monitoring in the execution of activities.

In response, the government stated that corrective measures are underway. These include restructuring coordination teams, revitalizing steering committees, strengthening monitoring and evaluation, and improving collaboration with technical and financial partners.

The parliamentarians emphasized the need for stricter monitoring and a clear action plan to rectify the situation and ensure the achievement of the initial objectives.

It is worth recalling that the PATAREB project, launched in 2018 and initially scheduled to end in 2023, is still ongoing despite delays. The PADCAE-B project, which began in 2021 with an initial duration of ten months, has also not been completed.

A project monitoring and evaluation expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, calls for extending this oversight to other programs funded by international partners. He specifically cites certain projects of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), raising suspicions of mismanagement and corruption in procurement procedures and the execution of works.