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National E-commerce Ecosystem of Burundi

5
local Marketplaces
pionners
19 
online payment services
providers
18
local and crossborder logistic supply chain stakeholders
10
regulators 
and arbitration bodies

About us

🌐 The National E‑Commerce Ecosystem of Burundi is a structured, open, inclusive and multi-stakeholder framework, established through a consensus-driven approach between public and private sector actors engaged in the digital trade agenda.

🎯 Its core objective is to coordinate and harmonize national efforts aimed at developing a secure, interoperable, and inclusive e‑commerce infrastructure, while promoting shared governance mechanisms to ensure sustainable digital market growth.

🚀 This initiative is led by the Telecommunications Regulatory and Control Agency (ARCT), in collaboration with the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB), the Burundian Revenue Authority (OBR), the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB), and the ICT Sector Chamber, with technical support from Burundi Shop. It was formally launched on November 23, 2023, during a high-level policy dialogue on the contribution of e‑commerce to national economic development.

🔗 Since then, the initiative has progressively expanded to encompass over 50 public and private institutions. It now operates as a permanent, institutionalized coordination platform, facilitating multi-stakeholders dialogue and collective action on regulatory, operational, technical, and policy reforms related to the e‑commerce value chain.

🤝 The ecosystem works closely with relevant sectoral ministries, in particular:

❖ The Ministry of Commerce
  ↳ In developing the national e‑commerce policy framework.
❖ The Ministry of Finance and Digital Economy
  ↳ In implementing legal and tax reforms, and customs procedures.
❖ The Ministry of Regional Integration
  ↳ In cooperating with regional and continental frameworks and mechanisms.

🏛️ Functioning as a national strategic platform, the ecosystem serves as an enabler for interinstitutional coordination, policy coherence, and public–private sector alignment. It is fully aligned with regional strategies (e.g., EAC and COMESA eCommerce Digital Strategies) and continental frameworks such as the AfCFTA Protocol on digital trade.

💡 Through the integration of cross-sectoral expertise and the facilitation of structured public–private dialogue, the initiative fosters an enabling environment for digital innovation, investment mobilization, and inclusive digital transformation, thereby enhancing Burundi’s regional and global digital trade competitiveness.

Stakeholders

The National E-Commerce Ecosystem of Burundi convenes the principal stakeholders engaged in the operations, regulation, and arbitration of e-commerce. These stakeholders are systematically organized into five specialized working groups:

1

Marketplaces owners

This group brings together marketplace owners who are collectively committed to providing reliable and accessible services in accordance with national regulations, international standards, and the specific conditions of the local environment.

These marketplace operators are in the process of updating their platforms to comply with the technical and operational standards set forth in the Practical Guide for the National eCommerce Ecosystem.

In a joint effort to optimize market efficiency and user experience, they have agreed to coordinate their activities by segmenting the eCommerce landscape, with each platform focusing on a specific market sector. This specialization is intended to foster the emergence of a unified national eCommerce gateway, offering streamlined access to all platforms.

Five local pioneering companies are currently actives.

>>>> See the list of stakeholders involved

2

Payment services providers

This group unites the principal digital payment service providers in Burundi, encompassing commercial banks, microfinance institutions, mobile payment operators, and payment gateways. Currently, 19 institutions are actively engaged in customizing their systems to ensure compliance with e-commerce standards, while simultaneously addressing the specific needs of the local market.

>>>> See the list of stakeholders involved

3

 Logistic supply chain Stakeholders

This group brings together the principal stakeholders in the logistics chain, including international freight forwarders (such as Poste, DHL, FedEx, AGL, etc.), local and regional transporters, customs agencies, certification authorities, and the Customs Administration. 18 entities are currently engaged in aligning their services with recognized e-commerce standards.

>>>> See the list of stakeholders involved

4

E-commerce regulation bodies

Burundi's e-commerce regulators are working to promote and oversee the adoption of digital trade in the country.
This group brings together the key governance institutions responsible for regulation of e-commerce services in Burundi, including:
🔧 ARCT (Burundi Telecommunications Regulatory Authority) – for technical oversight,
💳 BRB (Bank of the Republic of Burundi) – for payment systems,
🧾 OBR (Burundi Revenue Authority) – for taxation matters,
🏢 CIC (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) – for commercial affairs.

>>>> Find more details

5

E-commerce Dispute Settlement mechanism

This group convenes the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB), sectoral chambers, and other civil society organizations engaged in e-commerce, notably those representing the ICT, banking, microfinance, logistics, and customs sectors. The group is actively working to establish a dedicated e-commerce dispute resolution and arbitration mechanism in Burundi, aligned with international standards and best practices.

>>>> Find more details

Key Achievements

  • Stakeholder Mobilization: The most critical phase of this initiative was the mobilization of key institutional and sectoral stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Through a series of workshops, technical meetings, and retreats—and within the framework of an open and constructive public-private dialogue—stakeholders voluntarily and proactively committed to joining the initiative. This approach laid the foundation for a collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable public-private framework, marking a major milestone in the establishment of a true national ecosystem dedicated to the development of e-commerce in Burundi..
  • Practal Guide Development : - Stakeholders have developed a Practical Guide to E-Commerce in Burundi, accompanied by an implementation roadmap. This document outlines technical aspects, platform and stakeholder interoperability, as well as guidelines tailored to the national context. It also defines a pricing range applicable to e-commerce payment services and sets a pricing basis for local delivery services, with the aim of harmonizing applicable rates. This guide aligns with international e-commerce rules and standards and will form an integral part of Burundi’s National E-Commerce Strategy. All stakeholders involved in e-commerce in Burundi havecommonly agreed to refer to this guide in the development and operationalization of their platforms. Once validated, it will serve as a reference tool and source of inspiration for the formulation of sectoral policies and regulation.
  • Updating a National eCommerce strategy: - Building on the Practical Guide to Burundi’s National E-Commerce Ecosystem, and leveraging the multisectoral expertise mobilized within this ecosystem, a collaborative framework rooted in a methodology based on collective intelligence was established to support the Ministry responsible for Trade in updating its draft of National eCommerce Strategy. The revised draft document is now fully aligned with three key reference frameworks including the Practical Guide of the National E-Commerce Ecosystem, the EAC eCommerce Strategy and the AfCFTA Protocol on digital trade. This alignment ensures coherence at the national, regional, and continental levels, reinforcing Burundi’s commitment to developing a robust and inclusive digital trade environment.

Sponsors

This initiative has been made possible through the generous support of voluntary sponsors, who engaged freely and without any contractual obligation. We express our profound appreciation to all stakeholders who continue to support this undertaking with unwavering commitment and generosity.

We further extend an open invitation to any company or institution wishing to contribute to this dynamic initiative to join us in fostering the development of a robust and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem in Burundi.


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Contact

Physical address:

C/0 ARCT
14, Avenue de France,
Bujumbura, Burundi

Téléphone:

Tel. +257 22 25 56 67
Mob. +257 69 33 34 56

E-mail:

info@arct.gov.bi
christian.n@arct.gov.bi

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