World Bank provides $54.6M for Burundi health system

BUJUMBURA, Burundi The World Bank will provide $54.6 million to support better health care in Burundi, a bank official said on Monday in the capital Bujumbura. "This morning we signed a financing agreement of $54.6 million to support the health system in Burundi," said Veronique Kabongo, the bank’s representative in the East African country. The funding will support "the implementation of the national policy of free health care for pregnant women and children under 5, to support community health workers in carrying out a community package of activities and to support paramedical schools to improve the quality of training,” she added. Part of the funds will also be allocated to the fight against COVID-19 by strengthening laboratory networks in the country and supporting activities of a project in three Burundian provinces to fight gender-based violence. In Burundi, the World Bank finances projects aim to boost economic growth in order to reduce poverty by improving human capital and promoting social inclusion. Landlocked Burundi has a low-income economy with 80% of the population employed in agriculture. It is one of the most densely populated countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with 11.6 million people, including 50.4% women, according to the World Bank.