Burundi is home to a number of important minerals, most of which are found in the region. Burundi has the second-largest coltan (columbite and tantalite) reserves in East Africa and 10% of the world's nickel (Ni) reserves. It also has deposits of vanadium, carbonatite, gold, cassiterite and related minerals, platinoids, rare earths, various industrial minerals such as phosphates, kaolin, limestone, clay, sand and others, as well as mineral fuels such as peat and hydrocarbons.

In 2023, the Republic of Burundi revised the normative framework governing mining activities and introduced the Law No. 1/19 of 04 August 2023 amending Law No. 1/21 of 15 October 2013 on the Burundi Mining Code. Geared to promoting growth in the mining sector and capturing appropriate profits, it introduced on the one hand an implementing decree for artisanal mining, semi-mechanized mining, artisanal quarrying and mechanized quarrying, and recently the decree relating to prospecting, geological and mining research, the exploitation of large mines, small mines and industrial quarries on the other.

This mining alert provides for the innovations and reforms introduced by Decree No. 100/006 of January 16, 2025, implementing Law no. 1/19 of August 4, 2023 on the Burundi Mining Code with regard to prospecting, geological and mining research, and the exploitation of large mines, small mines and industrial quarries. Among the innovations and changes introduced are the possibility of holding or controlling a maximum of two authorizations or exploitation permits for the same substance for the same group of affiliated legal entities, the payment of at least one-third (1/3) of the budget devoted to prospecting and research work, the obligation to contribute to local development by paying the municipality a tax of 0.5% of turnover for the exploitation of large and small mines, special rights for the State in addition to participation in the share capital of the joint company, the possibility of constituting mining securities on the operating permit of large and small mines as well as on that of the industrial quarry, the establishment of a local development committee responsible for ensuring the implementation of community development projects, etc. These reforms will enable the mining and quarrying sector to contribute to Burundi’s vision of becoming an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.