At the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, one of the world’s largest and deepest freshwater lakes, the Port of Bujumbura anchors Burundi’s connection to the outside world. A landlocked country in East-Central Africa, Burundi lies within the Great Rift Valley, part of Africa’s Great Lakes region.

The Port of Bujumbura is part of a vital inland water transport system linking Burundi to Tanzania, Zambia and the wider East African trade network. Cargo moves across the lake to rail and road corridors that stretch to seaports on the Indian Ocean.

For Burundi, these routes are indispensable. A significant share of fuel, construction materials, and essential goods pass through them. With a capacity of 500,000 tonnes, the port handles a majority of the country’s cargo, underpinning national supply chains and regional trade integration.

However, this lifeline is increasingly exposed.

Rising waters, rising risks

In late 2023 and early 2024, unusually intense rainfall caused Lake Tanganyika’s water levels to rise sharply. Floodwaters spread across Bujumbura and surrounding areas, submerging homes, roads and critical infrastructure. Along the lakeshore, entire sections of the port and adjacent facilities were inundated. What had long been seen as a stable geographic advantage became a point of vulnerability.

The scale of the crisis was stark. More than 240,000 people across Burundi were affected, and over 48,000 were displaced. Entire communities, particularly in low-lying areas like Gatumba, saw their livelihoods being washed away. Transport systems were hit hard, accruing over $18 million in losses, with the Port of Bujumbura among the most affected.

To assess the full impact and chart a way ahead, the Government of Burundi, supported by the European Union (EU), UNDP, and the African Development Bank, undertook a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).  

PDNA is a globally recognized methodology jointly developed by the EU, the United Nations and the World Bank to evaluate disaster impacts and guide recovery planning. It looks beyond immediate damage to answer a more strategic question: what will it take not just to rebuild, but to rebuild better?  

In Burundi’s case, the total damages and economic losses from the floods were estimated at more than $210 million. Yet the assessment also revealed something else. The floods did not just damage infrastructure, they challenged the assumptions on which it was being developed.

Beyond reconstruction: A new approach to infrastructure

Even before the floods, Burundi and its partners had invested nearly $79 million to modernize the port as part of a broader regional corridor across Lake Tanganyika.  But if climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, then rebuilding infrastructure to past standards is no longer sufficient. Ports, roads and cities must now be designed for a different future – one where uncertainty is the norm.

Recognizing this, UNDP and the EU worked with the government to commission a detailed engineering study on the Port of Bujumbura. The objective was to identify how this vital infrastructure could be made resilient in the face of evolving climate and hydrological risks.

Designing for uncertainty

Over six months, a multidisciplinary team comprising civil engineers, hydraulic specialists and climate modellers, analysed the port in detail. Using drone surveys, flood modelling and scenario analysis, they examined how different sections of the port would respond to rising water levels and extreme weather.

What emerged was a solution built on a layered approach.

The study proposes a set of practical, costed interventions that balance ambition with feasibility. It outlines how existing infrastructure can be reinforced, drainage systems can be redesigned to better manage water flows, and future expansions can be planned to withstand conditions that are still uncertain but increasingly severe.

Importantly, the recommendations are built around adaptability. Rather than locking the port into rigid designs, they allow for phased improvements that can evolve as climate impacts and development patterns become clearer.

From crisis to resilience

When the results were presented in March 2026, they marked more than the conclusion of a technical exercise. They signalled a shift in how development is approached.

The Port of Bujumbura is no longer being viewed simply as infrastructure to be repaired or expanded. It is being reimagined as a system that must function under stress, absorb shocks, and continue to serve the country’s economy even in adverse conditions.

For Burundi, the stakes are high. As a landlocked country, disruptions to the Port of Bujumbura ripple across the entire economy – affecting prices, supply chains and livelihoods far beyond the lakeshore. Strengthening it is about safeguarding national stability and regional connectivity.

With the right data, partnerships and planning, recovery can become an opportunity to design systems that are fit for a changing climate.

This is the essence of resilience.