| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Textiles |
| Predecessor | COTEBU |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | , Burundi |
  Afritextile Headquarters Afritextile Headquarters (Burundi) | |
| Website | www |
Afritextile is a privately owned textile company based in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Afritextile manufactures and markets "kitenge" pagnes and cotton polyester products. It uses cotton produced in Burundi, or purchased in the sub-region, and polyester synthetic fiber. It has 1200 employees. [1] Importation of pagnes to Burundi is prohibited on the grounds that Afritextile can produce enough to supply the domestic market. [2]
The state-owned COTEBU textile company closed down in 2006 and 2007, and dismissed almost 1,600 workers. [3] In 2010 the government sold COTEBU's assets. [4] Afri-Textile of Mauritius received a 30-year concession on the Burundi textile complex in exchange for an investment of US$10 million. All investments in the compex during the concession period would be property of the state. [5]
Afritextile took over all COTEBU activites in July 2010. It began preparations to start industrial activities in 2011, and in April 2012 began production one workship at a time. There are three workshops: spinning, weaving, and dyeing & printing. There is also a mechanical repair workship that maintains and repairs the production machinery. [6]
Production of cotton fiber at the state-owned cotton producer COGERCO fell from about 3,700 tonnes in 1971 to about 1,000 tonnes by 2018. In July 2018 about 500 of the 930+ Afritextile employees were sent on leave, since there was a shortage of cotton from COGERCO. [2] As of 2021 COGERCO was selling cotton fiber to Afritextile and cotton seeds to the Rafina refinery. However, it could not meet the demands of either customer, who had to also import cotton fiber or seeds. [7]
In August 2021 Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, stated that COGERCO was making heavy losses. It was being audited, and then there would be talks with Afritextile to see how the two companies could work together in future. [8] The company had a high level of debt and was unable to pay the dividends it owed to the state. The factory was dilapitated, and only one of the two cotton gins was working. Negotiations for a public-private partnership with Afritextile were underway. [9]
In October 2021 the wives of the premiers of Burundi and Niger visited the Afritextile, Kaze Green Economy and FOMI factories. At Afritextile they saw the whole production process from receipt of raw cotton through spinning, weaving and printing/dying. [10] In November 2023 Emmanuel Sinzohagera, president of the Senate, visited Afritextile. He was shown the different departments making pagnes and fabrics. He observed that the workers were well-provided with gloves and nose masks. [11]
Bujumbura, formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's political capital. In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow through on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economical capital and center of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move to Gitega within three years.
Prostitution in Burundi is illegal but is commonplace and on the rise. Prostitution is prevalent in all areas of the country, and especially in the largest city, Bujumbura, and prior to the security crisis in 2015, the tourist areas around Lake Tanganyika. UNAIDS estimate there are 51,000 prostitutes in Burundi. Many women have turned to prostitution due to poverty. Previously law enforcement made little effort to curb prostitution. Political pressures, including from the mayor of Bujumbura, Freddy Mbonimpa, have led to crackdowns all over the country.
The Muramvya Regional Hospital is a hospital in Muramvya Province, Burundi.
The Rwibaga Hospital is a hospital in Bujumbura Rural Province, Burundi.
Rwibaga is a village in Bujumbura Rural Province in Burundi.
The Musasa River is a river in the Rutana Province of Burundi. It is a right tributary of the Muyovozi River, which in turn is a left tributary of the Malagarasi River.
The Muha River is a river in Burundi that flows through the south of Bujumbura. There are many problems with flooding and erosion, aggravated by extraction of sand and gravel from the river for use in construction.
The Kanyosha River is a river in Burundi that flows through the south of Bujumbura. Erosion of the banks is a constant issue in the urban areas it passes through.
SOSUMO is a company that grows and refines sugar in Burundi.
The Bujumbura Thermal Power Station is a 5.5 MW thermal power station in the Commune of Buyenzi in Bujumbura Mairie Province, Burundi. It is owned by Regideso Burundi.
FOMI is a company that manufactures fertilizers in Burundi.
Adrien Ntigacika is a Burundian businessman, best known for his involvement in manufacturing fertilizers that blend chemical and organic components.
Vénérand Kazohera is a Burundian businessman. He was a prominent supporter of the ruling CNDD-FDD party under president Pierre Nkurunziza (2005–2020), and remained active under president Evariste Ndayishimiye.
The Markets in Bujumbura include the main public markets in the city of Bujumbura, Burundi, and various smaller public or private markets. Several thousand traders work in these markets, typically renting a very small stall and selling a limited range of goods. A well-meaning program to renovate seven of the markets, funded by the European Union, caused major costs and distruption to the traders in 2016–2018. Traders have also to deal with decisions by the city government to reallocate different types of business to different markets.
The Bujumbura Central Market was a public market in the center of Bujumbura, Burundi. It burned down in January 2013, and the site was abandoned.
The Ngagara Market is a public market in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The Bujumbura Textile Complex, was a state-owned textile company in Bujumbura, Burundi. It was succeeded by the private AFRITEXTILE.
The COTEBU Market, or Ngagara II Market, is a public market in the Ngagara zone of the Commune of Ntahangwa, Bujumbura, Burundi.
The Cotton Management Company, is a state-owned cotton company in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Rafina is a company based in Bujumbura, Burundi, that manufactures cottonseed oil.