Bujumbura, Burundi, 20 Oct. - (ANA) - Burundi signed a $1.4 billion electricity deal with US-backed Anzana Electric Group, which Washington says will strengthen American supply chains and support mining in the East African country.

 

The country has deposits of nickel, gold, and rare earths. But Burundi, like many resource-rich African nations, has struggled to develop large-scale mining due to power shortages, poor roads and the lack of a direct rail link to export markets. Only one in five Burundians had access to electricity in 2024, according to the World Bank.

 

The 25-year agreement, signed through Anzana’s local subsidiary Weza Power, aims to connect more than 1.2 million households and businesses. 

 

It follows a US-backed agreement in March giving New York-listed mining company Lifezone Metals 14 months of exclusive access to assess Burundi’s Musongati nickel deposit, a metal used in stainless steel and some electric vehicle batteries. Washington is pursuing mineral partnerships across Africa to challenge China’s dominance of global supply chains. 

 

Last month, US officials also pledged to help Kenya to develop its own mineral processing industry.   

 

Burundi's electricity utility, REGIDESO, will continue to supply electricity through the national transmission network and maintain responsibility for distributing power in half the country, while Weza Power will invest in, expand, and operate the distribution network in the other half, delivering 52,000 km of new and upgraded distribution lines, connecting over 1.2 million new households and businesses and creating over 2,000 direct installation and operational jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs for Burundians. 

 

Economic growth resulting from large-scale electrification is expected to be a major contributor to GDP growth.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/20 October 2026 - - -