An atelier was recently organized in Burundi with the specific objective to mobilize and sensitize various stakeholders, including media, state services, and other partners, regarding the social and solidarity economy. The event aimed to better promote the contribution of these enterprises to local development. Social and solidarity economy enterprises are characterized by placing the human being, solidarity, cooperation, and collective interest at the heart of economic activity. These entities are also seen as helping to reconcile wealth creation, social inclusion, employment, and improved living conditions within communities. However, the sector faces several key challenges, including difficulties in accessing financing and markets. Additional hurdles include the formalization and professionalization of organizations, alongside a general lack of knowledge and visibility for these initiatives. These persistent challenges show the need for concerted efforts to bolster the sector's growth and impact in Burundi.
Defining the Sector
The social and solidarity economy in Burundi encompasses several types of entities, which can broadly be categorized into two main groups. The first category includes non-profit associations, cooperatives and cooperative societies, community health mutuals, and trade unions. These organizations are typically driven by social objectives and collective well-being. A second category involves commercial enterprises, such as banks and industries, which qualify if they commit to operating in the community's interest during their accreditation. This unique framework allows for a broader integration of economic actors into the social and solidarity model. These economic models build upon existing traditions, as solidarity, mutual aid, and collective organization are considered ancestral practices within Burundi. The integration of these principles into modern economic structures aims to leverage inherent cultural values for sustainable development.
Despite these established practices and the inherent dynamism of the sector, a challenge identified is the weak understanding of the social and solidarity economy concept among some actors. This lack of full understanding can impede effective collaboration and resource mobilization. Oversight for some of these entities falls to the Agence nationale de régulation des sociétés coopératives (Anacoop), which maintains an inspection service to ensure cooperatives comply with legislation. However, Anacoop faces difficulties in fully monitoring the sector. The agency oversees over 18,000 cooperatives, but a lack of resources makes it challenging to control all of them effectively. This significant number of cooperatives notes the widespread adoption of this economic model but also points to the immense regulatory burden on Anacoop.
Key Initiatives and Examples
Cooperatives in Burundi are active in training, production, transformation, commercialization, and export activities, demonstrating a diverse range of economic engagement. The Consortium des coopératives de café (Cococa), for instance, groups several cooperatives that export coffee abroad, generating foreign currency for the country. This not only boosts local economies but also contributes to the national balance of payments. Another significant organization, the Union Haguruka des Coopératives Multifilières (Uhacom), brings together more than thirty cooperatives. These cooperatives are engaged in storing and transforming agricultural products into various goods such as flour, juice, or oil, adding value to primary produce and creating local employment opportunities.
Community health mutuals represent another key initiative within Burundi's social and solidarity economy. These mutuals enable members to pool resources, which helps them access healthcare services, improve overall access to care, and reduce the burden of catastrophic health expenditures. By distributing financial risk among members, these mutuals provide a key safety net for healthcare costs. During the 2025-2026 period, each member of these community health mutuals contributed approximately 46,000 FBu to cover a household of between two and six people. This structured contribution model allows for predictable funding and service provision within the mutuals.
Espérance Kaneza stated that community health mutuals contribute to local development by facilitating access to healthcare and participating in disease prevention awareness campaigns. These campaigns are vital for promoting public health and reducing the incidence of preventable diseases. However, Kaneza also noted a challenge, observing, "Le taux d’adhésion reste largement faible" (The membership rate remains largely low). This indicates potential for growth and further integration of these models into the wider community, suggesting that more outreach and education could significantly increase participation.
Obstacles to Growth
Media outlets are urged to promote local initiatives more effectively, provide platforms for various actors, and highlight the experiences of cooperatives, health mutuals, and savings groups. Promoting these entities is seen as essential for their broader recognition and integration into the national economy. Increased media visibility can help demystify the social and solidarity economy and showcase its tangible benefits to the population.
In the health sector, a significant challenge involves the population's limited foresight culture, necessitating increased awareness campaigns for community health mutuals. This cultural aspect, where future health needs are not always proactively planned for, contributes to low enrollment. These mutuals face difficulties due to the absence of a legal framework obliging citizens to acquire health insurance, which further contributes to a low membership rate. Without a mandate, voluntary participation remains a hurdle, despite the clear benefits of health coverage.
Further obstacles for community health mutuals include the absence of certain regulatory frameworks specifically governing their operations. This lack of clear guidelines can create ambiguity and hinder their expansion and stability. Additionally, the availability of essential medicines is a concern, with shortages reported in some health facilities and pharmacies. The rising cost of medication also presents a challenge, impacting the ability of mutual members to access necessary treatments, even when they have insurance coverage. These systemic issues require broader health sector reforms to ensure the effectiveness of mutuals.
Calls for Support and Action
Libère Bukobero, who noted the existing dynamism, stated, "Nous avons déjà des coopératives actives dans la formation, la production, la transformation, la commercialisation et l’exportation" (We already have cooperatives active in training, production, transformation, commercialization, and export). This observation shows the existing potential and the foundational work already in place within the cooperative sector. Bukobero called for increased financial support for the Agence nationale de régulation des sociétés coopératives (Anacoop). He emphasized that a larger budget would enable Anacoop to strengthen its awareness campaigns and inspection missions for cooperatives. Bukobero specifically noted this need, stating, "Il faudrait vraiment augmenter l’enveloppe budgétaire allouée à cette agence" (The budget allocated to this agency should really be increased). This support is deemed key for the continued growth and effective oversight of the social and solidarity economy sector in Burundi, ensuring its sustainability and maximizing its contribution to local development. Strengthening Anacoop's capacity is seen as a key step toward realizing the full potential of Burundi's social and solidarity economy.