Rwanda Receives $25m Grant for Development, Reports KT Press

KIGALI, Rwanda, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rwanda has received two separate grant packages equivalent to $25m to support the country's development programs.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141001/149841 

The first grant for €13.5m (Rwf11b) was signed on Monday between Rwanda and Belgium, meant to strengthen the country's efforts of decentralising political authority.

The second grant worth $9.54m was signed on Tuesday between Rwanda and the World Bank. This is meant to support the country restore its largest forests, Gishwati and Mukura, in the western part of the country.

The grant is part of the World Bank's Global Environment Facility to support the least developed countries.

Rwanda's Finance Minister, Claver Gatete, said the Belgium fund will help boost local economic development activities.

Belgium's Ambassador to Rwanda, Arnout Pauwels, said Belgium is motivated by Rwanda's commitment to social and economic transformation efforts of building capacity for grass-roots institutions.

The two countries have a 5-years bilateral agreement where Belgium committed in 2011, a €160m grant to Rwanda.

Minister Gatete said also the World Bank financing will directly and indirectly facilitate landscape management, protection and supply of water resources. Eco-tourism activities will be cared for too.

The government has evacuated and resettled thousands of farmers who had encroached the two natural forests. Gishwati, a 250,000 hectares thick forest, has decreased to an estimate 1500 hectares today, while the 3000 hectares  Mukura forest lost half its size. 

World Bank Country Manager Carolyn Turk said the project is expected to support livelihoods of some of the poor households around the forests.

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SOURCE KT Press