28 June 2025 (BUJUMBURA, Burundi) — IRRI joins Burundi’s Diplomatic Week, bringing together over 200 diplomats representing the Burundian Government and diplomatic missions in the country. A major highlight of the engagement is a tour of IRRI’s regional crop improvement hub, where guests witnessed how IRRI significantly contributed to the vision of Burundi to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060. With the theme “Fruitful Partnership for an Emerging Burundi: Economic Diplomacy, the Driving Force of Sustainable and Inclusive Development”, IRRI was invited by Burundi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation as a key partner, signaling the renewal of an even stronger partnership between the two institutions.
“Burundi, which aspires to become an emerging country by 2040 and a developed one by 2060, anchors this national vision largely on the modernization of agriculture, the development of human capital, and scientific innovation. IRRI plays a key role in this dynamic move by addressing the major challenges facing rice farming.”, stated Audace Manirambona, the Rector of the University of Burundi. “In partnership with the University of Burundi, where it is hosted, IRRI also contributes to training the next generation of scientists by supervising students during their internships and final year projects, thereby strengthening national capacities for sustainable and inclusive development.”, he added.
“Being a part of this year’s Diplomatic Week shows the alignment of IRRI and Burundi’s goals which is to achieve food, nutrition, and income security.”, said IRRI Regional Breeding Lead and Seed System and Product Management Lead for East and Southern Africa Dr. Ajay Panchbhai. He also highlighted the importance of the Host Country Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Burundi signed back in 2018. “This allowed us to position our…