Germany today gave Burundi a 22.5 million euro ($30.61 million) grant to help the tiny central African country improve its water supply and reduce poverty. The money will mostly be used to help 1.3 million people in rural areas get access to clean water, Germany's ambassador to Burundi, Joseph Weiss, said.

"Nearly 80% of this amount is going into the water sector. We hope the aid will improve the living conditions of poor people in rural areas," he told reporters after signing an agreement with Burundi's foreign affairs minister.

Germany is also funding the power sector in the coffee growing nation of 8 million people. Weiss said his government had allocated 60 million euros in aid for energy projects in the Great Lakes region. The aid would help to boost energy distribution between Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, he said. - Reuters