• Burundi launched a web-based single window to manage import permits and online payments.
• The platform integrates pharmaceutical controls through the ABREMA module and connects multiple regulators.
• Authorities made the system mandatory as part of customs and public-sector digital reforms.

The Burundi Revenue Authority (OBR), with support from TradeMark Africa and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, presented the new web-based version of the Electronic Single Window for import permit management on February 17, in Bujumbura.
 The system now includes the ABREMA module, which covers pharmaceutical and medical products.

Ce mardi 17 février 2026, l’@OBR_BI a procedé à la mise en production et exploitation definitive du module web #ABREMA, une plateforme numérique dédiée à la facilitation de l’importation des produits médicamenteux via le guichet unique électronique.https://t.co/JFCxqmPTRx pic.twitter.com/grqyGfB9gU

— Office Bdais des Recettes (@OBR_BI) February 17, 2026

The platform allows importers and exporters to submit applications, track file progress in real time, and complete payments online without physical travel. The system operates as an integrated platform that centralizes procedures with the Burundian Medicines and Food Regulatory Authority, which oversees pharmaceutical quality and compliance, the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, and Livestock for sanitary and phytosanitary certifications, and the OBR for final authorization clearance.

The platform features an interactive dashboard that enables users to monitor application status at any time and automatically calculate fees, including options for foreign-currency payments.

Authorities aligned the modernization with Burundi’s public-sector digital transformation policy, which seeks to shorten administrative delays, strengthen trade traceability, and enhance national competitiveness. The reform also extends ongoing efforts to integrate the single window with the ASYCUDA customs system as part of the transition toward a Single Customs Territory.

Authorities made use of the platform exclusive, and all pharmaceutical importers must now complete procedures through the electronic system.

The digital single window also improves coordination between regulatory agencies and businesses while supporting reforms aimed at integrating Burundi into a regional single customs territory. Countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe also operate electronic single windows interconnected with online customs systems.

The ASYCUDA WORLD system, developed with UNCTAD support, operates in more than 100 economies and helps reduce customs clearance times and administrative costs.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum