E-commerce is a cross-cutting sector whose operation involves several areas falling under the distinct mandates of different institutions. To ensure coherent regulation of this activity, Burundi has established, through the Practical Guide to the National E-Commerce Ecosystem, a regulatory coordination framework bringing together all sectoral regulators and other institutions involved in eCommerce.
This framework ensures the consistency and complementarity of the requirements applicable to the various components of e-commerce, without undermining the statutory mandates of each institution.
This institutional architecture is based on the allocation of responsibilities according to the nature of the regulatory of the sector concerned. Online sales platforms and applications, payment systems, escrow accounts, taxation and customs, logistics and consumer protection are therefore governed, as appropriate, by distinct regulatory frameworks and competent authorities.
Within this arrangement, this Ecosystem plays a role in coordination, harmonization, monitoring and evaluation, and interinstitutional cooperation. It promotes the consistent implementation of common policy directions and facilitates collaboration among institutions where e-commerce activities fall at the intersection of several sectoral regulations.
The Ecosystem Guidelines therefore serve as a common reference framework, providing regulators and other competent institutions with a shared basis for carrying out their respective mandates and, where necessary, developing or adapting sector-specific regulations applicable to e-commerce. They encourage complementary action by the various authorities while providing e-comerce operators with a coherent and clearly defined compliance framework.
The mechanism is consequently based on coordinated regulation, under which no institution replaces another. Each institution exercises the powers assigned to it under the laws and regulations in force, while the Ecosystem ensures that their respective interventions converge within a common national framework.
This arrangement supports the development of e-commerce in Burundi while strengthening operator compliance, transaction security, consumer protection, and trust in the digital trade.