As part of its commitment to building the capacity of its partners and improving the quality of project implementation, the African Development Bank Group organized a workshop on strengthening social and environmental safeguards for projects funded by the Bank in Burundi.
The workshop, held in Bujumbura, Burundi's largest city, from September 30 to October 3, 2024, focused on equipping participants with the knowledge required to prepare environmental and social safeguarding tools and implement efficient prevention, mitigation and compensation measures.
Following the rollout of an updated Integrated Safeguards System (ISS) in May, the Bank has embarked on a series of capacity-building exercises to help improve understanding of the requirements and provisions of the system among staff and stakeholders directly involved in preparing and implementing Bank-financed operations and programmes.
About 80 people, drawn from the operational units of projects funded by the Bank, project management staff, officials from Burundi's Ministries of Environment, Finance and sector-specific ministries, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and consultants took part in the workshop.
Topics covered included new elements of the safeguards system, Bank requirements on preparing and implementing projects, roles and responsibilities of actors involved in preparing and implementing safeguarding tools, contractual obligations of key actors, preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans, monitoring and reporting, risk management, complaint management, and the Bank's Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM). The sessions were led by experts from the Bank and from various government agencies.
Welcoming the initiative, Ms Isidora Ntakiyiruta, representing the Burundian Minister of Finance, urged the Bank to consider convening more workshops, to deepen impact.
Maman-Sani Issa, Director of the Bank's Social & Environmental Safeguards and Compliance Department, highlighted the importance of continuous improvement in environmental and social performance, and ensuring that no lives or resources are negatively impacted by Bank-financed projects.
The African Development Bank Group's Country Representative for Burundi, Mr Pascal Yembiline, reaffirmed the institution's commitment to supporting Burundi in its efforts to comply with project environmental and social requirements.
Workshop participant, Ms Aline Nijimbere, Health, Safety and Environment specialist for a hydroelectric power project financed by the Bank, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn about the workings of the complaints management and recourse mechanisms in project implementation.
Alphose Polisi, an executive from the Burundian Office for Environmental Protection (OBPE), noted that the training would improve cooperation and coordination among projects' stakeholders.
On the sideline of the workshop, Director Maman-Sani Issa held discussions with the Burundian Minister of the Environment and the Director of the OBPE. They discussed the ongoing environmental and social assessment of the country system, opportunities for further cooperation, and the Bank's support for capacity-building for OBPE staff.
Click here to view the Bank's Integrated Safeguards System
