The adequate equipment, the training of the technical staff and the capacity building, such is the added value of the bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the protocol of the East African Community on the cooperation in meteorological services which was passed unanimously at the end of the plenary sitting of Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

The Minister of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture who represented the Government was more explicit. The aim of this protocol, said Ambassador Ezéchiel Nibigira, is to promote cooperation in strengthening the systems of observation, production and exchange of meteorological data and information. The cooperation, he added, will focus on the planning, design and development of weather and climate observation networks and meteorological telecommunications system, data processing and analysis and sharing of meteorological information, development of weather forecasting and alert system. The cooperation, he continued, will establish reference climatology for the sub-region and a regional climate watch. It will also concern, he concluded, the harmonization of policies, laws and regulations on meteorology at regional level.

The plenary commented on the delay between signature and ratification by the Government. The case in point is that of the charter taken by four (4) countries sharing Lake Tanganyika. The charter, whose implementation was set for May 15, 2023, had been conceived a long time ago with the aim of ensuring a biological rest. But now two (2) countries seem already withdrawn. The plenary asked to know the position of Burundi when it is known that there is a part of the population for whom fishing is a job and another one which loves the fruits of fishing. Accompanying measures are imperative to reconcile both sides, the plenary advised.

For Ambassador Ezéchiel Nibigira, this gap is sometimes explained. There are areas of higher sensitivity that require great caution before engaging the sovereignty of the country.
As for the materialization of the charter, the Government, which is aware of the reality of the problem, is at work before pronouncing itself in the near future, announced the Government envoy.