Burundi was a German colony from 1885 to 1916. After Burundi gained independence in 1962, Germany was one of the first states to launch development cooperation with the country. It enjoys a good reputation due to the successes achieved in Burundi’s development.

Following the years of international isolation in the wake of an attempted coup in 2015 and subsequent unrest, President Ndayishimiye is taking a more open approach when it comes to foreign policy.

Trade with Burundi is limited. In 2024, Germany exported goods worth 14.1 million US dollars to Burundi. Burundi’s main export is coffee.

Burundi is not a partner country of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s country programme and the last projects are scheduled to finish by mid-2026. The still ongoing projects focus in particular on the key issues of water and sanitation, as well as health. Germany nevertheless supports Burundi in a variety of ways. On the one hand, it is one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance in the country. On the other, numerous regional and global programmes include Burundi, for example in the spheres of food security, agriculture and mining. Moreover, Germany is engaged in Burundi in the context of various Team Europe initiatives.

Land Baden-Württemberg has had a partnership with Burundi for more than 40 years that was formalised in 2014 through a joint declaration by the Land government and Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. This partnership is primarily overseen by the state-owned Foundation for Development Cooperation – Baden-Württemberg (SEZ). The SEZ has had a liaison office in Bujumbura since June 2023.

The German language classes offered at the University of Burundi and at a number of schools have met with great interest, with some 3500 students enrolling in them each year. In addition, the Goethe-Institut in Nairobi in cooperation with the German Embassy helps to promote German as a foreign language in Burundi.