Publications de Presse Burundaise (PPB)

Publications de Presse Burundaise (PPB) is a state-run publishing entity responsible for the production and distribution of two main government-aligned newspapers, Le Renouveau du Burundi (in French, founded 13 April 1978 and described by PPB as the country’s only regularly appearing daily) and Ubumwe (in Kirundi). PPB also handles the printing of official government documents, brochures and public communications. Its self-stated editorial line for Le Renouveau is to “accompagner l’action gouvernementale” (“accompany government action”).

Media assets

Publishing: Le Renouveau du Burundi, Ubumwe

Ownership and governance

Established under Presidential Decree No. 100/0112 of 2019, PPB functions as a department under the Ministry of Communication and Media. Its governance is tightly controlled by the executive branch: top leadership, including the Director-General and the chief editors of its publications, are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister in charge of Communication. There is no transparent or competitive selection process for leadership roles.

The current Director-General is Nathan Ntahondi, appointed under Presidential Decree No. 100/064 of 17 March 2021 “Portant Nomination des Cadres aux Publications de Presse Burundaise.” Ntahondi has led PPB through its 2022 strategic plan and the digitalisation of Le Renouveau, and has publicly identified the institution’s principal challenges as insufficient operating budget (which affects publication quality), irregular publication schedules, and limited geographic media coverage. As of this update, no new appointments have been publicly announced since the March 2021 round of executive nominations.

The 2025–2026 political reshuffle has reshaped the wider institutional environment in which PPB operates. On 5 August 2025, Nestor Ntahontuye (formerly Minister of Finance) was named Prime Minister, replacing Gervais Ndirakobuca, who was elected President of the Senate. The same day, the cabinet was restructured and the number of ministries reduced from 15 to 13. Gabby Bugaga, a former RTNB journalist most recently in charge of logistics at the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), was appointed Minister of Communication and Media, replacing Léocadie Ndacayisaba, who steered the 2024 press law reform and now sits in the Senate. The renaming of the ministry, from “Communication, Information Technologies and Media” to simply “Communication and Media”, signals the transfer of the digital economy portfolio to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Digital Economy.

Source of funding and budget

PPB is primarily state-funded, operating as a directorate within the Ministry of Communication and Media. It generates additional revenue through paid announcements, classified ads, and institutional subscriptions, but these income streams remain insufficient to guarantee financial sustainability.

In 2019, PPB received BIF 1 billion (US$ 563,000) from the state, covering over half of its annual budget. In 2021, the subsidy increased to BIF 1.1 billion (US$ 546,000). According to the 2023–2024 national budget, PPB received BIF 1.7 billion (US$ 603,000), the highest allocation to date despite the local currency’s depreciation. PPB management has previously warned that without sufficient advertising revenue, flagship outlets like Le Renouveau risk collapse. According to a 2025 analysis, Le Renouveau reduced its print frequency from five to three issues per week in early 2025, citing rising production costs and distribution challenges, though as of April 2025 it was still being described as a “quotidien” by its own staff on the occasion of the newspaper’s 47th anniversary.

The 2024–2025 fiscal year was marked by mid-year financial strain: a December 2024 revised finance law widened the projected deficit from BIF 449.6 billion to BIF 521.7 billion, with the new Finance Minister Nestor Ntahontuye citing unforeseen expenditures, uncollected revenues and unplanned activities. The Court of Auditors reported that most ministries and public institutions saw their allocations reduced under the revised budget. For the 2025–2026 fiscal year, on 24 June 2025, President Ndayishimiye promulgated Law No. 1/12 fixing the General Budget of the Republic, with total expenditure set at BIF 5,258.6 billion (up roughly 10%). A revised finance law was prepared in late 2025. The institutional reduction of ministries from 15 to 13 has reorganised the chain of oversight over public agencies including state media.

As of 2026, no concrete reforms or diversification strategies have been implemented to improve PPB’s commercial viability.

Editorial independence

PPB operates as a government-controlled outlet, and its editorial line is closely aligned with official state narratives. Both Le Renouveau and Ubumwe function as institutional mouthpieces, largely publishing content that portrays government officials and programmes in a positive light. Le Renouveau itself states that its editorial line is to “accompany government action.”

There is no legal provision guaranteeing PPB’s editorial autonomy. Its position as a government department subjects it to ministerial oversight and bureaucratic directives, leaving little room for independent reporting. The PPB also lacks an ombudsman, public editor, or formal complaints system to ensure journalistic accountability or pluralism. Burundi’s Observatoire de la Presse du Burundi (OPB) acts as a general media watchdog but exerts no meaningful oversight over PPB’s editorial direction.

The country’s press regime was overhauled by Law No. 21 of 12 July 2024, which revised the 2018 press law. The 2024 reform partially decriminalised press offences, eliminating custodial sentences for offences such as insults and “harmful allegations”, and introduced fines ranging from BIF 500,000 to BIF 1,500,000. The new law also formally recognised online press and community radio for the first time and enshrined journalists’ rights to an employment contract, decent salary and social benefits. In practice, however, the law preserves vague offence categories and has not changed the operating environment for state media. Human Rights Watch noted that the law was revised “without significant consultation.”

Ahead of the 5 June 2025 legislative and local elections, won by the ruling CNDD-FDD with 96.5% of the vote and every elected national assembly seat, the National Communication Council (CNC), chaired since mid-2024 by Espérance Ndayizeye, adopted a Code of Conduct for Media during the 2025 Electoral Period. The Code prohibited the publication of partial results without CENI’s approval and was widely criticised by opposition parties and press freedom organisations as restrictive. A coalition of media outlets coordinated election coverage, reportedly funded by the Ministry of Communication, a configuration in which PPB titles served as state-aligned print vehicles, including for institutional advertising, official notices and CENI-cleared results communications. Reporters Without Borders documented an upsurge in violence against journalists in the run-up to the 2025 vote, and Burundi fell 17 places in the RSF 2025 World Press Freedom Index to 125th of 180, returning the country to a “very serious” press freedom situation.

AI and digital policy

PPB has actively pursued digitalisation. According to the agency’s Director-General, the digital edition of Le Renouveau, accessible via lerenouveau.bi and lerenouveau.digital, was reportedly accessed in 44 countries by 2022, framed as a strategic initiative to “carry the real image of Burundi” beyond the country’s borders.

Despite this digital outreach, no publicly available AI policy, content provenance commitment (e.g. C2PA), or formal disclosure framework for AI-generated content has been identified for PPB as of this update. There is no public statement on AI use in newsroom workflows, automated translation, or synthetic-media disclosure.

April 2026