Rwanda implements NEPAD agri plan

Through the national review it is hoped to increase the agriculture growth rate by 6% and to allocate 10% of the national budget to the sector, according to Rwanda's Agriculture Minister, Anastase Murekezi.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and development partners analysed how far the country has progressed with the four pillars of the CAADP during a meeting in Kigali on 7 February 2008.

The four pillars are: land and water management; rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for improved market access; increasing food supply and reducing hunger; and agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption.

Minister Murekezi said: "Our aim is to strengthen our efforts to facilitate the CAADP's mechanism that aims to promote public-private partnership for the needed investments in the agriculture sector."

He said the CAADP will support such national projects as the one-cow-per-household, fisheries and biodiversity promotion in Lake Kivu, and crop intensification through water irrigation.

The minister's comments were reinforced by the World Bank Country Representative, Victoria Kwakwa, who welcomed the CAADP implementation review initiative at country level.

"We donors have to play a supportive role in coordinating the continental efforts needed for Rwanda to achieve its goals," Kwakwa said.

"This will transform the country from subsistence to modern agriculture."

The Kigali meeting also saw the official launch of Research Into Use (RIU), a UK-based programme that focuses on research for sustainable agricultural development.

The RUI-Rwanda chapter is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Article published courtesy of BuaNews