Green Shoots of Hope: Eco Burundi’s Journey to Success and Beyond

Mélance Maniragaba, deputy editor-in-chief.

The MV Musumba 1 boat is a newcomer to the Burundian fleet, which currently has around ten active vessels. After a long period of repair, it found its place in maritime transport. It’s a hat tip to the Musumba Cargo company, the owner of this boat, that they have not stopped building this vital infrastructure.

This newcomer to the Burundian transport sector is a hybrid barge intended to provide connections between ports along Lake Tanganyika. With a capacity of 1,500 tonnes of goods, which is equivalent to 30 trucks, it will also be able to transport around a hundred people.

It is a success, but with a downside. Maritime transport is still underutilized. However, it is cheaper and offers relatively encouraging security. Unfortunately, transporters and local economic operators prefer road transport. They seem to place more value on seeing fifty lorries parked than on seeing one boat sailing on the lake. Which would give them a certain respect among the neighborhood.

This recalls the traditional value attributed to the local cow. Some breeders prefer to rear 20 cows each producing 20 liters of milk per day rather than one modern breed cow with the same production.

Likewise, some breeders prefer a cow that only gives birth to one calf a year rather than a sow that can have two litters a year with around ten pigs each time.

Although maritime and rail transport are still underdeveloped, they have significant potential for transporting goods and people. The key is to improve it by implementing specialist training for ship or train captains, engineers, inspectors and technicians, and by recruiting qualified professionals. This is what counts above all else.