AgrarKontakte International (AKI) e.V. and the foundation Bread against Misery (BaM) cooperates since 2022 to develop the bread value chain in Burundi. Since then, AKI, BaM and the local project partner organized several trainings on innovative bread baking.

To develop the bread value chain in Burundi, Oliver Flodman Master baker and bakery technician of BaM tested different types of bread with various locally available ingredients such as sweet potatoes, avocados, beans and casava. This makes bread affordable for even more people from the lower- and middle-income groups. 

As part of the development of the bread value chain, Joshua Wasswa, an expert in building energy efficient ovens, traveled from Uganda to Burundi to construct two ovens. During his visit, he also trained a young boy named Naboth Sibomana, equipping him with the skills needed for future oven construction projects in Burundi. The two ovens will be allocated to bread micro-cooperatives, one in Bujumbura and the other in Gitega. Each cooperative receives 50% of the investment cost as a grant, with the remaining 50% to be repaid to support additional cooperatives.

The project aims to empower young entrepreneurs in Burundi to start their own small businesses. Alice Karerwa, the country coordinator of BaM and a master's student at the University of Burundi, reports: “Many young people in Burundi are unemployed, and micro-bakeries will provide beneficiaries with the opportunity to start their own small businesses and generate alternative income.”

Special recognition goes to the dedicated trainer Oliver Flodman and his team consisting of Lucy Ezatiru from Uganda and Alice Karerwa from Burundi as well as AKI's local team which is supporting their activities on site. Their effort is the key for the successful foundation of “Burundi Microbakeries”.

AKI expresses its special thanks to the foundation BaM for their support and is looking forward to further successful collaboration.

The project “Establishment of an AgriSocial Education and Training Centre in Gitega, Burundi“ is funded by the Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection - Baden-Württemberg (MLR) since August 2020.