Angelina, First Lady of Burundi, Leads Delegation to Visit BGI

On July 1, Angeline Ndayishimiye, First Lady of Burundi, led a delegation to visit BGI Group, where in-depth discussions were held on cooperation in areas including public health and food security.

During the meeting, Angeline congratulated BGI Group on its technological achievements and extensive international cooperation. She emphasized that the Burundian government places great importance on agricultural productivity, women’s health, and eye care for the public, and welcomed BGI’s innovative technological solutions and related support.

Du Yutao, Party Secretary of BGI Group, introduced BGI’s projects in Africa, including the promotion of perennial rice as well as the construction of medical laboratories and reagent factories. He expressed BGI’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with Burundi in the fields of food security and public health.

Telesphore Irambona, Ambassador of Burundi to China, outlined the efforts made by the Burundian government to improve public health and food security, and expressed expectations for enhanced cooperation between BGI and Burundi. Huang Shu, Deputy Director-General of the Liaison Department of the All-China Women’s Federation, affirmed BGI’s contributions to China–Burundi cooperation and stated her support for BGI in leveraging its strengths and sharing experience to contribute to women’s health initiatives in Burundi and other African countries.

Attendees at the event included Liu Lei, Party Secretary and Chairwoman of the Shenzhen Women’s Federation; Li Ning, Vice President of BGI Group; Chen Songheng, General Manager of BGI Group’s Africa Region; and Ren Xi, Deputy General Manager of BGI Agri.

Prior to the meeting, Angeline and her delegation visited the BGI Agri Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Base, toured the perennial rice demonstration fields to learn about the breeding process and varietal characteristics of perennial rice, and visited the eggplant tree seedling greenhouse. They also toured the China National GeneBank, where they were briefed on the application and promotion of BGI’s genetic screening technologies for ophthalmic hereditary diseases, in response to the high prevalence of such conditions in Burundi, as well as the progress of the “Light Fund,” a public welfare initiative jointly launched by seven female executives of BGI.

Angelina (second from right) gains an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of perennial rice varieties

Angelina carefully examined the tamarillo tree

Du Yutao (far right) exchanges souvenirs with Angelina (far left)

Li Ning (right) exchanges souvenirs with Telesphore Irambona (left)

This visit followed First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye of Burundi’s participation in the China–Africa Women’s Forum and received strong support from the All-China Women’s Federation and the Chinese Embassy in Burundi.

Angelina Ndayishimiye (sixth from the left in the front row) and her delegation pose for a group photo with BGI staff

Looking ahead, BGI will actively advance cooperation with relevant institutions in Burundi, continuously providing “China solutions” to support development in Burundi and other African countries, and promoting the benefits of genomic technologies for Africa.