Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Tuesday officially named Nestor Ntahontuye as the East African country’s new prime minister through a formal presidential decree.
Ntahontuye now replaces Gervais Ndirakobuca, who had been in the significant position since September 2022 and was named finance minister last December.
Amid strategic governmental changes, the former prime minister, Gervais Ndirakobuca, has now officially assumed the significant new position of Senate president. Ntahontuye’s appointment, formally ratified by both the National Assembly and the Senate, aligns the government with the ambitious objectives of Vision 2040-2060.
A respected technocrat, Ntahontuye is said to possess a significant ability to navigate donor circles with wide knowledge of public administration. President Ndayishimiye’s ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy, recently won all seats in legislative elections.
Following the new prime minister’s appointment, President Ndayishimiye has unveiled an entirely new Cabinet with sweeping changes across several key ministries. Only three ministers were retained in the new cabinet, with one being moved from trade to the defense ministry in a significant reshuffle.
Marie Chantal Nijimbere was relocated from the trade ministry to defense, while Francois Havyarimana and Lydwine Baradahana were retained in their respective posts. According to a presidential decree, Alain Ndikumana was officially named as the new finance minister, replacing the newly appointed prime minister, Ntahontuye.
In another key change, Edouard Bizimana was named as the country’s new foreign minister, taking over from his predecessor, Albert Shingiro. Under the country’s Constitution, the appointment of a new prime minister automatically leads to the complete dissolution of the entire existing Cabinet.