☑️ On November 1, 1976, the Supreme Revolutionary Council (SRC), composed of 30 officers from the national army, overthrew the regime of Captain Michel Micombero. Burundi had just gone through a dramatic period, with the 1972 massacres, exiles, and economic and social malaise.
☑️On November 9, 1976, the SRC appointed Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza as President of the Republic of Burundi. In the designation decision, the SRC specified that President Bagaza would be accountable to the People of Burundi and to the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
☑️For 11 years, the Bagaza administration, made up of young executives and intellectuals, implemented a highly structured economic governance focused on agricultural development, the expansion of public infrastructure, industrialization, and the fight against corruption.
🔴Increase in Agricultural Production
The government launched the policy of "relying on one's own strengths" and prioritized agricultural development and the modernization of farming methods. The proposed solutions included, among others: the development of cereals (rice in the IMBO plain, wheat at high altitudes), oil palm along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, sugarcane in the KUMOSO (in the Southeast), village tea on the mountains of the Center-West; regeneration of coffee capital in the North, profitability of cattle farming in the South, widespread encouragement of fruits and vegetables, seed selection, and anti-erosion efforts (reforestation).
Another rural development action consisted of promoting cooperatives and regrouping into villages. About a hundred cooperative stores for purchasing consumer goods were created across the country. The dispersed habitat system, considered a hindrance to social services such as schools, health facilities, and sanitation, favored the regrouping of populations into villages. In this context, around 38 villages were created. The outline of the long-term reconstitution of agricultural potential (large-scale reforestation operations, massive renewal of coffee plants), major agricultural developments, and anti-erosion terraces.
To better coordinate, on the ground, the actions of the various responsible services, Regional Development Companies (RDCs) were established, especially since 1979. By 1982, there were nine: IMBO, RUMONGE, GIHOFI, KIRIMIRO, BUYENZI, MUGAMBA, BWERU, KIRUNDO, MAKAMBA-MABANDA. Only that of IMBO, which governed the rice farmers of the RUSIZI plain, reached cruising speed (nearly 5,000 tons in 1980).
🔴Development of Public Infrastructure
The Bagaza administration embarked on developing major public infrastructure projects: more than 1,000 kilometers of asphalted or modernized roads, from RN1 to RN11, enabling, among other things, the formation of a "road belt" around the country, faster access to peripheral areas, the unlocking of regions, improved mobility, and strengthened military patrol capacity along the borders. The asphalted roads from this period remain a major legacy today, although their condition has deteriorated significantly due to lack of maintenance, road overload, and climatic conditions. The regime undertook the construction of 9 major hydroelectric plants, the development of the Bujumbura port on Lake Tanganyika, the extension of the rural drinking water network, the establishment of a telecommunications network for the population, as well as the progressive decentralization of administrative services.
🔴Industrialization and Public Sector
The Government created numerous public enterprises in various sectors to stimulate a local industrial base and ensure economic independence, particularly in the textile industry, agri-food, pharmaceutical industry, bottling and glassware, oil mills. In 1987, there were about 110 public enterprises. These enterprises facilitated the supply of the population with basic necessities, reduced imports, and promoted trade with neighboring countries, especially within the framework of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL).
🔴Social Development
One of the flagship measures was the abolition of the serfdom system called "Ubugererwa," which consisted of lands belonging to customary chiefs that were lent to landless populations in exchange for certain labors for the chiefs; henceforth, these lands would belong to the farmers who worked them. This was a measure greatly appreciated by the beneficiaries, as well as by the international community. This measure was accompanied by agrarian reform and an increase in the producer price of coffee.
In the field of education, the regime launched large-scale voluntarist policies, with the aim of: democratizing access to school, ruralizing education to adapt it to the country's economic realities, and strengthening state control over a system historically managed by religious congregations.
🔴Fight Against Corruption and Good Governance
The fight against corruption was one of the regime's priorities, based on the idea that corruption was an obstacle to development and citizen trust in state institutions. In this context, the Government launched a public campaign of political and administrative mobilization aimed at denouncing corrupt practices and encouraging transparency, strengthening the institutional framework, particularly the establishment of control and supervision mechanisms in administrations, with the goal of limiting abuses, while reducing economic inequalities and limiting land-related privileges, often a source of corruption. However, despite these preventive measures, corruption, though limited, existed, particularly through political favoritism, abuses of power, and lack of transparency by certain administrators.
🔴Macroeconomic Performance
This political vision had positive effects on macroeconomic performance. Economic growth during the 1980s averaged 4.2%, triple the average for Sub-Saharan Africa (1.4%) during the same decade. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita tripled, rising from $115 in 1976 to $374 in 1987, although this good performance was overshadowed by galloping inflation during the 1976-1979 period, which reached 26%. However, macroeconomic reforms and the progressive devaluation of the national currency allowed prices to stabilize at very low levels toward the end of the 1980s, with inflation dropping to -4.2% in 1986 and -3.4% in 1987.
🔴The Economic Reforms of 1986
In 1986, the Government had to adopt the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), with the support of the World Bank and the IMF, a program that had negative effects on the daily lives of the population, particularly: budget cuts, freezing of recruitment and salaries in the Public Service, reduction of subsidies on basic necessities, introduction of user fees for health and education services, limiting access for the poorest, restructuring of public enterprises, etc.
Nearly 40 years later, what remains of these achievements and this good macroeconomic performance? In any case, the political vision driven by Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza should serve as a reference for today's and tomorrow's leaders.
☑️On November 9, 1976, the SRC appointed Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza as President of the Republic of Burundi. In the designation decision, the SRC specified that President Bagaza would be accountable to the People of Burundi and to the Supreme Revolutionary Council.
☑️For 11 years, the Bagaza administration, made up of young executives and intellectuals, implemented a highly structured economic governance focused on agricultural development, the expansion of public infrastructure, industrialization, and the fight against corruption.
🔴Increase in Agricultural Production
The government launched the policy of "relying on one's own strengths" and prioritized agricultural development and the modernization of farming methods. The proposed solutions included, among others: the development of cereals (rice in the IMBO plain, wheat at high altitudes), oil palm along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, sugarcane in the KUMOSO (in the Southeast), village tea on the mountains of the Center-West; regeneration of coffee capital in the North, profitability of cattle farming in the South, widespread encouragement of fruits and vegetables, seed selection, and anti-erosion efforts (reforestation).
Another rural development action consisted of promoting cooperatives and regrouping into villages. About a hundred cooperative stores for purchasing consumer goods were created across the country. The dispersed habitat system, considered a hindrance to social services such as schools, health facilities, and sanitation, favored the regrouping of populations into villages. In this context, around 38 villages were created. The outline of the long-term reconstitution of agricultural potential (large-scale reforestation operations, massive renewal of coffee plants), major agricultural developments, and anti-erosion terraces.
To better coordinate, on the ground, the actions of the various responsible services, Regional Development Companies (RDCs) were established, especially since 1979. By 1982, there were nine: IMBO, RUMONGE, GIHOFI, KIRIMIRO, BUYENZI, MUGAMBA, BWERU, KIRUNDO, MAKAMBA-MABANDA. Only that of IMBO, which governed the rice farmers of the RUSIZI plain, reached cruising speed (nearly 5,000 tons in 1980).
🔴Development of Public Infrastructure
The Bagaza administration embarked on developing major public infrastructure projects: more than 1,000 kilometers of asphalted or modernized roads, from RN1 to RN11, enabling, among other things, the formation of a "road belt" around the country, faster access to peripheral areas, the unlocking of regions, improved mobility, and strengthened military patrol capacity along the borders. The asphalted roads from this period remain a major legacy today, although their condition has deteriorated significantly due to lack of maintenance, road overload, and climatic conditions. The regime undertook the construction of 9 major hydroelectric plants, the development of the Bujumbura port on Lake Tanganyika, the extension of the rural drinking water network, the establishment of a telecommunications network for the population, as well as the progressive decentralization of administrative services.
🔴Industrialization and Public Sector
The Government created numerous public enterprises in various sectors to stimulate a local industrial base and ensure economic independence, particularly in the textile industry, agri-food, pharmaceutical industry, bottling and glassware, oil mills. In 1987, there were about 110 public enterprises. These enterprises facilitated the supply of the population with basic necessities, reduced imports, and promoted trade with neighboring countries, especially within the framework of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL).
🔴Social Development
One of the flagship measures was the abolition of the serfdom system called "Ubugererwa," which consisted of lands belonging to customary chiefs that were lent to landless populations in exchange for certain labors for the chiefs; henceforth, these lands would belong to the farmers who worked them. This was a measure greatly appreciated by the beneficiaries, as well as by the international community. This measure was accompanied by agrarian reform and an increase in the producer price of coffee.
In the field of education, the regime launched large-scale voluntarist policies, with the aim of: democratizing access to school, ruralizing education to adapt it to the country's economic realities, and strengthening state control over a system historically managed by religious congregations.
🔴Fight Against Corruption and Good Governance
The fight against corruption was one of the regime's priorities, based on the idea that corruption was an obstacle to development and citizen trust in state institutions. In this context, the Government launched a public campaign of political and administrative mobilization aimed at denouncing corrupt practices and encouraging transparency, strengthening the institutional framework, particularly the establishment of control and supervision mechanisms in administrations, with the goal of limiting abuses, while reducing economic inequalities and limiting land-related privileges, often a source of corruption. However, despite these preventive measures, corruption, though limited, existed, particularly through political favoritism, abuses of power, and lack of transparency by certain administrators.
🔴Macroeconomic Performance
This political vision had positive effects on macroeconomic performance. Economic growth during the 1980s averaged 4.2%, triple the average for Sub-Saharan Africa (1.4%) during the same decade. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita tripled, rising from $115 in 1976 to $374 in 1987, although this good performance was overshadowed by galloping inflation during the 1976-1979 period, which reached 26%. However, macroeconomic reforms and the progressive devaluation of the national currency allowed prices to stabilize at very low levels toward the end of the 1980s, with inflation dropping to -4.2% in 1986 and -3.4% in 1987.
🔴The Economic Reforms of 1986
In 1986, the Government had to adopt the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), with the support of the World Bank and the IMF, a program that had negative effects on the daily lives of the population, particularly: budget cuts, freezing of recruitment and salaries in the Public Service, reduction of subsidies on basic necessities, introduction of user fees for health and education services, limiting access for the poorest, restructuring of public enterprises, etc.
Nearly 40 years later, what remains of these achievements and this good macroeconomic performance? In any case, the political vision driven by Colonel Jean-Baptiste Bagaza should serve as a reference for today's and tomorrow's leaders.