BURUNDI. National Population Programme of 1990.
(Troisième Conférence Africaine sur la Population,
Rapport des Pays, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, United Nations Economic Commission
for Africa, 1994, pp. 18-22; this is Vol. 2, Part 1, of a three-volume
publication.)
Profile of the National Population Program
26. While awareness of population problems is old, actions
aimed at resolving these problems in a global and integrated way are recent.
In addition, such actions are not yet coherent and harmonized, which has
led to a weakness in the results obtained. It is from a desire to eliminate
this handicap that has arisen the idea of developing a framework of reference
for various population-related activities and the different individuals
and organizations working on population issues.
A. Goals of the program
1. Main goals
27. The most basic goal contemplated by the policy is
"the improved welfare of the population," based on a harmonious
balance between demographic growth and development. One of the principal
aims of this goal is to drive fertility to a low level by bringing about
a decrease in the synthetic fertility index (SFI) from its current level
of 6.8 children per woman to 5 children per woman at the end of the five-year
plan and to 4 children per woman by 2010. Consequently, demographic growth
will decrease from 3 per cent to 2 per cent between now and the year 2010.
28. The percentage of young persons under 15 years old
will decrease from 47 per cent to 36 per cent in 2010. At the same time,
the crude mortality and infant mortality rates must be decreased from their
current levels of 16 and 105 per 1000 to 10 and 60 per 1000, respectively,
between now and the year 2010. Consequently, life expectancy at birth will
increase from 51 years to 54 years in 1997 and to 60 years in the year
2010. A detailed study of maternal mortality, presumed to be elevated but
in fact very poorly understood, will be completed in an effort to discover
the level and principal determinants thereof and to find an appropriate
solution. The fight against AIDS and the strengthening of "education
for health" programs will need to be pursued. Beyond these basic demographic
goals, miscellaneous sector-specific goals are also contemplated.
2. Specific goals
29. The specific goals revolve around the principal social
and economic development sectors and touch areas as varied as maternal
and infant health, employment, education, housing and the habitat, child
and youth welfare, the environment and sanitation, control of demographic
growth, etc… With respect to health, the following goals have been formulated:
a) improvement of the general state of health of the population,
with community participation and a higher frequency of visits to health
centers, and with a particular emphasis on maternal and infant health.
Consequently, the crude mortality rate will decrease from 16 per 1000 to
11 per 1000 by the year 2010 and the infant mortality rate will decrease
from 103 per 1000 to 87 per 1000;
b) reduction of the rate of malnutrition for children
under 5 years old by 50% between now and the year 2005 and the eradication
of malnutrition in the long term;
c) formulation of a common plan of action for the various
partners in the family planning program, in view of achieving a realistic
contraceptive use rate of 20% by the year 2000.
30. In the area of education, the program aims at an increase
in the level of schooling for women and their better integration in the
various socioeconomic sectors; adaptation of instruction and training programs
to the requirements of development at all levels; introduction of the subject
"population-development" into education; expansion of the network
of technical and professional teaching, i.e., one technical or professional
school per province by 1997; and improvement of on-the-job training of
young people at the regional and national levels in order to reduce delinquency.
31. In the area of employment, the goals contemplated
are an increase in the number of jobs in the modern sector from 6% to 10%
by 2000 and to 20% by 2010; establishment of a training and improvement
plan for people employed in the formal sector; and an increase in the number
of non-agricultural jobs in rural areas.
32. The goal contemplated in the area of integrating women
into the development process is a 46% literacy rate for women by the year
2000.
33. With respect to the habitat and urbanization, the
following goals are contemplated: achievement of a universally decent habitat
between now and 2010 and an increase in the amount of housing and number
of homeowners; development of a rational policy regarding the occupation
of urban space across the country in the medium and long terms; greater
participation of financial and other institutions in the sector of the
habitat in the medium and long terms; optimal exploitation of local construction
materials; a more balanced distribution of investments between Bujumbura
and other urban centers.
34. With respect to the environment, the principal actions
to be pursued are the regeneration and protection of the soil through reforestation,
improved provision of drinking water, the clean-up of rural and urban areas,
and a change in the behavior and attitudes of the population towards the
environment.
B. Strategies
1. Main strategy
The policy's main strategy has five principal facets:
health and family planning, information/education/communication (IEC),
the integration of women in development, collection/analysis/research,
and the integration of the population policy into development planning--all
within a context of appropriate institutional reorganization.
a) Family planning and health
36. Family planning is the core of the population policy
strategy. This strategy is directed at well-defined population subgroups
so as to rationalize family planning policy and increase its chances of
success. It consists of avoiding births in all women under 20 years, through
a more extensive and better-adapted consciousness-raising program and the
broadened availability of contraception. For women between the ages of
20 and 39 years old, the objective is the promotion of birth spacing in
order to attain progressively an average inter-pregnancy interval of 24
months by the year 2000 and 36 months between now and 2010--while, at the
same time, making available to women in this age group contraception to
limit births or stop them permanently. Women over 39 years of age and those
who have already had at least four children will be encouraged to limit
their reproduction through permanent contraception. With respect to the
prevalence of contraceptive use, the objective is progressively to increase
the rate of use of modern methods from its current level, estimated at
around 3%, to 35% by the year 2010.
37. In addition to this central strategy, the policy involves
the completion of studies on the extent and determinants of maternal mortality,
as well as other actions aimed at improving prenatal supervision, an increase
in the number of deliveries attended by trained personnel, and the strengthening
of the positive impact of family planning services on the survival of mothers
and children.
b) Information, education, and communication (IEC)
38. The success of the population policy depends in large
part on the degree to which the various social classes adhere to the stated
goals. To this end, a change in mentality is necessary in order to adapt
the system of values [of the population] to the parameters of the new approach
to sustainable human development. This is why the IEC component occupies
a very important place in the present population policy. The IEC component
will be carried out not only formally, by means of training through the
education program on population, but also informally, through mass broadcasting
and interpersonal communication. A national IEC strategy will be developed
to serve as a frame of reference for this component of the population policy.
It will be based on three principles: an integrated approach, the coordination
of activities, and articulation of the planned contents and activities
of the IEC component--the goal being to provoke a change in the mentality
of Burundian men and women so that they will freely adhere to the goals
of the population policy.
39. In order to create a new Burundian man and woman who
support the ideas of sustainable development, the IEC component must be
global and innovative. Since family planning is a key element of development,
the IEC component will need to contribute to the building of a citizenry
that freely adheres to the family planning program. To this end, the IEC
component shall include a substantial section on family planning, without
being solely limited to it. The IEC strategy regarding family planning
shall be structured and categorized on the basis of various population
classes.
c) Integration of women into development
40. Given the role that the promotion of the status of
women plays in the process of demographic transition, the integration of
women into development is a prerequisite for the success of the population
policy. In essence, educated women have below average fertility and infant
mortality rates.
41. To enable women to integrate themselves successfully
into the development process, particularly into modern sectors where they
are still in the minority, it is first necessary to raise their social
status, particularly by changing their level of education. Once women have
acquired access to a higher level of instruction, they will be able to
aspire without obstacles to positions of responsibility. In the area of
the economy--the private employment sector that women still today have
difficulty penetrating--financial institutions should be approached about
granting the necessary loans to those who would like to invest in PMEs.
This action will enable women to enter the private sector as employers
rather than employees.
42. In the area of education, mechanisms must be put in
place to increase the schooling rate of women and decrease their illiteracy
rate from 67% to 30% by 2010. With respect to technical and professional
education, where there are still an insignificant number of women, the
number of girls must be increased in order to open wide to them the doors
of the technical professions.
43. With respect to health, the extent and determinants
of child and youth mortality and the heightened mortality of female young
persons must be studied so that their causes may be controlled. After its
extent and determinants have been determined, the maternal-mortality rate
must be reduced. Family planning policy will be strengthened by targeting
women according to the specifics of their fertility. Efforts to reduce
the rate of HIV seropositivity from 16% to 10% for women between the ages
of 15 and 24 and from 24% to 15% for women between the ages of 25 and 34
in urban areas will be intensified, as well as efforts to reduce by half
seropositivity in other groups by the year 2000.
44. With respect to employment, a balance must be progressively
achieved between women and men in public service, and the percentage of
women in the private sector must be increased from 12% to 17% through diversification
of women's fields of specialization by the year 2000. The achievement of
universal instruction will enable the elimination of the barriers between
men and women, particularly in the area of decision-making.
45. In the area of self-development, the establishment
of women's groups for agro-pastoral activities must become widespread,
while the means of production, preservation, and transformation of products
are improved . Women must also be encouraged and given the technological
and financial means to create small and medium-sized commercial enterprises.
d) Collection and analysis of data and research
46. In order for the activities provided for in the framework
of this population policy to be carried out successfully, it is crucial
that there be available an efficient, high-quality system of information.
This is why a strategy for the management of demographic statistics is
indispensable.
47. This management will involve the following: collection
of new data on population issues, particularly in those areas where knowledge
is still primitive; updating of existing data that is under-used; improvement
of collection techniques and methods in order to have data available that
is reliable; thorough analysis of the demographic data already available;
research on population and development issues with a view to refining the
strategies that have been adopted; and coordination between departments
for demographic data collection and analysis in order to maximize the use
of available resources.
e) Integration of population policy goals into planning
48. Improved socioeconomic development planning results
not only from the consideration of demographic variables, but also from
the integration of population policy goals into its objectives in an effort
to increase the chances of achieving balanced development. Simulation and
evaluation models will therefore be developed so that development may be
carried out in accordance with the new orientations defined by the Government.
The integration of these two matters will occur in three areas: methodology,
tools, and follow-up/evaluation.
49. At the methodological level, studies and research
on population issues should be harmonized to achieve coherence in the choice
of goals for development. To this end, appropriate methodological tools
must be used so that the goals of development at both the macro-economic
and sectoral levels will conform to the objectives of demographic evolution
of the country. Simulation or theoretical framework models will need to
be developed and continually updated. Finally, planning must from this
point forward adhere to the chosen objectives.
50. With respect to the tools to be used, integrated population
and development planning requires that reliable and appropriate information
be available. This involves coordination between collection and research
systems and development planning departments. The latter must devise a
list of demographic indicators for development planning that collection
and research departments will work to update and enrich.
51. With respect to the matters of follow-up/evaluation,
appropriate mechanisms for follow-up/evaluation and control must be put
in place and qualified human resources must be available.
2. Sectoral strategies
a) Migration and spatial distribution
52. As a general matter, the strategy adopted must lead
to a better understanding of the principal aspects of migratory movements,
which are still today very poorly understood. Consequently, the strategy
must consist of improving understanding of the phenomenon of migration
by means of appropriate studies. An analysis of the causes of migratory
movements and their effects on economic development in the various regions
of the country is thus indispensable.
53. With respect to rural-rural migration, the encouragement
and management of migratory flows within the framework of manage-ment projects
and the stabilization and integration of the migrant population into receiving
zones must underlie the strategy to be adopted in this area.
54. Measures to be adopted with respect to migration towards
the cities respond to a different logic. They involve promoting activities
likely to keep the population in their original areas in an effort to avoid,
as much as possible, an increase in the rural exodus. To achieve this,
it is necessary to create a rural zone of revenue-generating, non-agricultural
activities.
55. Generally, the following strategies are planned: encouraging
a clear understanding of the scale of migratory movements in both arrival
and departure zones; studying mechanisms likely to keep the population
in place in departure zones--which are suffering from the mass flight of
an active workforce that is crucial to their economies; in regions that
are destinations, putting in place programs and adequate training mechanisms
to avoid any tendency towards vagrancy and idleness; pursuing a program
of development or rehabilitation of secondary urban centers to slow down
the rural exodus toward the capital; encouraging the development of modern
occupations in rural areas; establishing legal standards for migration
between the various regions of the country.
b) Human resources
56. The strategy on human resources has two facets: training
and employment. With respect to formal training, the following are necessary:
improvement of the training system through a balanced distribution of infrastructure;
encouragement of specialized and long-term training; and adaptation of
programs to the needs of socioeconomic development. The efforts of NGOs,
local collectives, and the private sector must be linked with the already
considerable efforts of the Government.
57. At the informal level, the distribution of centers
for occupational training must respond to balanced coverage of the needs
of the entire country. Moreover, on-the-job training must be organized
so as to improve the technical skills and competitiveness of the workforce,
and training mechanisms must be set up to promote self-employment in rural
areas and the emergence of artisans' associations. The informal sector
must turn to private craft and commercial small enterprises with a view
of creating more non-agricultural jobs in rural areas. Such a form of organization
could, if it experienced some success, attain a double goal: the promotion
of employment in rural areas and the diminution of the rural exodus through
training of uneducated youth in their own areas.
58. As for the formal sector, the plan is intended, in
particular, to promote investments involving extensive use of the workforce
and to divert capital towards rural areas in order to develop modern productive
activities without forgetting to encourage the promotion of the employment
of women.
59. The training of children who have left school at the
end of primary studies is planned in order better to prepare them to enter
the socio-professional world. Moreover, it is necessary to formulate social
legislation to enable indigent persons and, eventually, the elderly to
live with dignity.
c) Urban planning and the habitat
60. With respect to urban planning and the habitat, the
strategies involve rehabilitation of business centers and development of
secondary urban centers; construction of tall buildings in urban centers
in order to deal with problems of scarcity of land; support for a system
of housing loans; pursuit of a policy of gathering people in villages;
and promotion of local construction materials.
d) Children and youth
61. The strategy will be developed around the problems
of identified groups, i.e., strengthening the program of maternal and infant
health; encouraging an increase in the number of reception centers for
children in difficulties; encouraging prenatal supervision; giving further
support to an expanded vaccination program; universalizing primary school
instruction; re-energizing centers for professional instruction in an effort
to rehabilitate uneducated youth.
e) Food needs, agriculture, and population
62. In the face of high demographic growth, the strategies
to be implemented are the following: diversification of the means of producing
food and improvement of methods of cultivation in order to increase returns;
rationalization of policy relating to the fight against erosion, particularly
through reforestation activities; transformation of the population's eating
habits in order to induce people to consume certain commodities that they
produce, hitherto reserved exclusively for sale; stabilization of agricultural
revenues through improvement and development of sales networks in order
to reduce the cost of agricultural products; and strengthening of nutritional
education.
f) Environment and population
63. The strategy on environment and population is based
on the following: identification of ecological zones in order better to
protect them; definition of coherent agro-pastoral ecosystems; safeguarding
the forest heritage and natural equilibrium; management of the water supply
and household and industrial waste in cities and rural areas; promotion
of environment-related training and information; and raising the awareness
of the population so that it will take control of environmental problems.
III. Conclusion
64. Today the problem of strong demographic growth is
perceived by the Burundian authorities as a challenge that must be met
by the entire population at every level in order to enable sustained economic
and social development efforts to achieve their established goals. Given
the exceptionally complex character of this challenge, the implementation
of population programs has fallen short of initial undertakings. As a result,
despite the achievement of positive results in the areas of health (a vaccination
rate of more than 80%), primary school instruction (a rate of schooling
of more than 70%), and creation of an awareness of population problems,
significant measures must be adopted at the highest level if Burundi wants
to attain its objective of controlling demographic growth in the medium
term. The low living standards of the population, the inadequacy of financial
and human resources, the absence of an suitable institutional framework
for the execution of population policies and programs, recognized deficiencies
in the collection of data, etc. . . . have held, in particular, the attention
of the Government, which is committed to supporting the goals and strategies
of the national population program (PNN).
65. In the context of the application of the PNN recommendations,
the Burundian authorities' awareness of demographic problems and the population's
adherence to the various programs constitute for the country incontestable
assets for the success of the national population policy.
66. Despite the determined political will to find solutions to rapid population growth, certain constraints have still been able to limit this success. It is principally a problem of insufficient human and material resources in the international context of a) economic crisis, and b) the problem of putting an institutional framework into operation. This is why bilateral and multilateral financial support remain essential to bolster the Government's efforts.