Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. GDP per capita is about US$255, and more than two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line. While the country is making some progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), chances of achieving them by 2015 are still limited

In 1985, Tanzania was in severe economic distress, plagued by widespread shortages and high inflation. Agricultural production, the mainstay of the economy, had been declining steadily since the 1970s. Exports of cash crops, which traditionally accounted for the bulk of foreign exchange...