Sustainable localization: Burundi’s Fish Centre handed over to National Fish Federation

H.E. Lianne Houben, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Burundi at the Samaki Centre in Rumonge, Burundi © 2023, SPARK
On the Burundian shores of Lake Tanganyika, fishing cooperatives are being boosted by the newly built Samaki Centre. Now, under local leadership, the centre continues to be supported to generate revenue without the need for subsidies.
With a walk-in freezer and cold room with a combined capacity to store 2,800 kg of fish, the facilities at the Samaki Centre keep the local catch fresh for longer. With financing from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SPARK has built the Samaki Centre close to Rumonge, with facilities for cleaning, drying, smoking and freezing excess catch. The centre also produces up to 264 kg of ice per day and has 22 solar energy panels that reduce fishermen’s reliance on the turbulent electricity grid. In a country of 11.7 million people, only 3% have access to electricity, so these facilities are a first-of-its-kind in Burundi.
Handover ceremony
On 12th December, Her Excellency Lianne Houben, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Burundi joined SPARK and representatives from Burundi’s National Fish Federation to officially start the handover process of the fish centre into the hands of local stakeholders.
The move comes after an intensive coaching and training period by SPARK to ensure that the National Fish Federation can sustainably and efficiently operate the centre long into the future. Since June 2023, the centre has brought in enough revenue to finance its operating costs without the need for any donor or investor subsidies. Over 11,000kg of fish has been stored at the centre since it opened and at least 20 fishermen per day utilise the solar panels to charge light batteries used for night fishing.
According to Mr. Gabriel Butoyi, President of the National Fish Federation and the centre’s new Director, the facilities are of vital importance to increasing the profitability of the country’s fishing industry. The storage capacity of its cold rooms help to stabilise the price of fish in the Burundian market during periods of low supply. Plus, the center serves as a base for ambitious entrepreneurs with plans to launch into fish distribution throughout the country.

During the ceremony, Her Excellency Lianne Houben, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Burundi, said that the fish centre is an important step in boosting private sector development in Burundi, which aligns with the Dutch Embassy’s strategy for Burundi towards 2030.

Jean Marie Manirambona from the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock in Burundi said that the center will contribute to the government’s national plan for a ‘Responsible and Hardworking Government’ that fights against poverty and hunger. We thank you for your contribution in supporting this middle class who are the entrepreneurs of the rural world, contributing to all of us achieving our Vision 2040: Emerging Countries, and Vision 2060: Developed Countries.”

According to the local administration representative of Rumonge province and district Administrator of Rumonge: “We will never have to witness the loss of post capture because in the case of excess lake fish production, the rest will be stored at the center. We thank the donor, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burundi and SPARK; and urge the Fish Federation together with the entrepreneurs, to manage the center in a responsible manner for the present and future generation”.
Coaching continues until June 2024
With the Samaki Centre now officially in the control of the National Fish Federation and the Fish Suppliers in Burundi (FPFPB), SPARK will continue to coach and monitor the progress of the centre until the end of the Akazi Keza programme in June 2024. The National Fish Federation has already co-financed efforts to ensure the center remains profitable, such as securing the acquisition of solar panels and the centre’s electricity connection.
SPARK’s coaches provide strategic advice on how to boost revenue and usage of the facilities, monitoring concerns and ensuring that lessons are learned from both successes and failures. Ultimately, SPARK verifies that equipment is used and sufficient revenue continues to be generated to ensure this localised process remains sustainable and profitable for Burundi’s fish value chain.
Sharing plates of cooked fish that had been stored and prepared at the Samaki Centre and entertained by the sounds of traditional Burundian drums, the handover ceremony marked a momentous leap forward for localised economic development. One that SPARK hopes to take into a new programme aimed at supporting entrepreneurship development for youth, especially women, throughout Burundi.
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