Bujumbura, Burundi, 16 September 2024 - About thirty civil servants from Burundi have benefited from a training workshop which focused on negotiating and managing mining contracts. This capacity-building workshop was organised and facilitated by the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) from 16 to 20 September 2024, in partnership with the following law firms: DLA Piper France LLP, Mabushi Chambers and the Technip Energies.
The Capacity Building training workshop targeted senior Burundian government officials, in particular those from the Burundi Mining Office. In his opening address at the workshop, Mr Paul Ndarihonyoye, Assistant to the Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, welcomed the “support of the African Legal Support Facility towards the implementation of legislative reforms and the structuring of mining agreements in Burundi”.
This workshop comes specifically at a time when the country has entered a phase of reviewing several of its mining contracts in order to reap the full benefits of its natural resources. The workshop focused on the geological, technical, financial and legal facets of developing a mining project. The experts tackled the following topics, notably: major phases of a mining project; financing of mining projects; feasibility and engineering of a mining project; construction, development, closure and rehabilitation phases of mining sites; environmental features of mining projects; notions of governance and transparency in the sector as well as dispute resolution mechanisms.
The African Legal Support Facility team present in Burundi, comprising Ms Mariame - Yolande BAH, Legal Adviser and Regional Coordinator for North and Central Africa, Mr Mamadou Ciré DIALLO, Legal Consultant and Ms Nancy AMPIAH, Administrative Assistant, commended the commitment of the Burundian authorities during the training workshop and reiterated its willingness to support the country in the implementation of its mining projects.
ALSF at a glance
ALSF was established in 2008 as an international organisation under the umbrella of the African Development Bank. It assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions, providing legal and technical assistance and developing capacity-building tools in the key sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnerships, energy, natural resources and extractive industries, as well as sovereign debt issues and disputes with creditors.
Contact us
Eve EHOURA, Communications Officer: e.ehoura@afdb.org
ALSF website: https://www.alsf.int
Design by Vyou - CopyRight #2019