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Full meaning African Union Community of Sahel–Saharan States Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Community of West African States Foreign direct investment Gross domestic product Inclining block tariff(s) International Monetary Fund Independent power producer Kilowatt Kilowatt hour Liquid petroleum gas Megawatt Pay as you go Power purchase agreement Private public partnership Standard and Poors Global Ratings Sub-Saharan Africa Transmission and distribution Time of use West African Economic and Monetary Union United Nations Industrial Development Organization Value added tax World Bank Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy General government debt-to-GDP ratio measures the gross debt of the general government as a percentage of GDP. Debt is calculated as the sum of the following liability categories (as applicable): currency and deposits; debt securities, loans; insurance, pensions and standardised guarantee schemes, and other accounts payable. This percentage is calculated from the number of mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 adults. Occasionally a single user will have more than one mobile subscription and so it is possible for this value to exceed 100%. 190 countries ranked This includes all renewable energy sources (solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal and biomass and waste), and excludes large hydro (above 50 MW) and nuclear. Disclosed share of foreign investment in the clean energy sector (of both local and foreign investment in clean energy, this tells us the amount of foreign investment in clean energy). This includes all renewable energy sources (solar, wind, small hydro, geothermal and biomass and waste), and excludes large hydro (above 50 MW) and nuclear. As per the 2017 EAC common external tariff As per the 2017 EAC common external tariff As per the EAC CET 2017. For less common battery technologies the duty is 35%. As per Law Nr. 1/12 of July 29, 2013 As per Law Nr. 1/12 of July 29, 2013 As per Law Nr. 1/12 of July 29, 2013 The median time (the value for 50 percent of shipments) from port of discharge to arrival at the consignee. Refers to all types of entry ports. Unit is days. Year is 2018, unless specified otherwise. The real economic growth, or real GDP growth rate, measures economic growth as it relates to the GDP from one period to another, adjusted for inflation, and expressed in real terms as opposed to nominal terms. The real economic growth rate considers inflation in its measurement of economic growth, unlike the nominal GDP growth rate, which does not. 167 countries ranked. Scores are averaged across 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 with the last year weighing most of the score. See "Source" below for more details.

The components analysed in the International LPI include:
• The efficiency of customs and border management clearance;
• The quality of transport infrastructure;
• The ease of arranging shipments;
• The quality of logistics services;
• The ability of tracking and tracing;
• The frequency with which shipments reach consignees within expected delivery times.

Overview

Burundi’s economic growth remains relatively low at 1.8% for 2019, however, annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) has consistently improved from negative values in 2016. Neither Standard & Poor's (S&P) nor Moody’s provide investment grade ratings for Burundi. In 2019, Burundi was ranked 168 out of a possible 190 countries for ease of doing business by the World Bank, down from 152 in 2015.

Debt as a proportion of GDP increased significantly, from around 45% in 2015 to more than 63% in 2019. Inflation rates have been volatile in recent years with a high exceeding 16% in 2017 followed by two successive years of negative rates. Between 2015 and 2018, the Burundian franc also depreciated more than 14% to the euro and nearly 17% to the US dollar.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) decreased from more than €61 million in 2014, or 3% of GDP, to less than €1 million in 2019, or 0.03% of GDP. Foreign investment also accounted for 94% of clean energy investment in 2018, compared to 100% the year before. While this could be a sign of increasing domestic investment in the sector, investment volume data is not available so inferences should be made cautiously. To promote investment in the country, l’Agence Burundaise de Promotion des Investissements (API) (Burundi Investment Promotion Authority) works to attract investors and assists foreign investors with setting up operations.

Burundi charges the standard VAT rate of 18% on all solar panels, wind turbines and batteries for energy storage. Solar panels and wind turbines are exempt from import duties. Batteries, however, incur a duty of 25% for conventional technology types and 35% for less common battery technologies (like lithium ion).
Regional affiliation
AU, COMESA, EAC, ICGLR
Official language(s)
English, French, Kirundi
National currency
Burundian Franc
Presence of port
No
Burundi uses the Port of Mombasa (approx 1,500 km to Bujumbura)
Next planned election and cycle length

2020 (5-year cycle)

Demographics

Population
% urban population of total population
% rural population of total population
Population growth rate
Working age (15-64) share of total population
Working age (15-64)
Rest of population
Urbanisation rate (% urban population growth)

Connectivity

All three connectivity indicators
% penetration of mobile cellular subscriptions
% penetration of mobile money
% population with access to internet

Logistics, Import duties and value added tax

Logistics

Median lead time to import
2018
Aggregated Logistics Performance Index ranking
2018
154

Import Duties and Value-Added Tax

Import Duties
Solar panels
Wind turbines
Batteries (for renewable energy storage)
VAT
Solar Panels
Wind turbines
Batteries (for renewable energy storage)

Business intelligence

Energy Ranking

Climatescope ranking
2019
65
2018
58
2017
Not ranked
2016
Not ranked
2015
Not ranked
WB RISE ranking
2018
117
2016
81
2014
Not ranked

Economy

GDP
Real GDP growth
GDP/capita, real
SSA average
GDP/capita, real
SSA average
GDP/capita, real
Debt to GDP ratio (gross debt)
Inflation rate
Exchange rate
Currency exchange rate vs. EUR and USD
Currency exchange rate vs. EUR
Currency exchange rate vs. USD
Total volume of clean energy investment
% foreign investment in clean energy
2018
94.00%
2017
100.00%
Methodologies
Get to know how this Country Brief was developed
Read more
Contact
Questions or feedback are always welcome
info@get-invest.eu