The government and Republic of Korea have signed a framework arrangement on a grant funding for the year 2014 worth $25 million  (about Rwf17 billion).

The financial deal is in the framework of promoting poverty reduction and sustainable socio-economic development through grant aid as well as to further strengthen the relations between the two countries.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo lauded Korea’s continued contribution to the socio-economic transformation of the country.

"I would like to express my sincere appreciation to what Korea is doing for Rwandan citizens. This arrangement of promoting civil service, technical and capacity development is a vital support to our civil servants and our community,” Mushikiwabo said.

The minister also said Rwanda-Korea ties have grown beyond grants and aid as well as exchange of official visits.

"This arrangement is only part of much bigger relationships. Beyond money and grants, we value more the friendship. We are proud that our ties are not only about government or official visits; we have seen a big number of Korean investors coming to invest in Rwanda,” she added.

Transformation

The Korean ambassador to Rwanda, Hwang Soon Taik, commended Rwanda for achieving so much in just 20 years after the Genocide against the Tutsi that left the country in utter ruin, as well as the state of cooperation between the two countries. 

"The grant aid arrangement is little but for us we want to deliver our heart, knowledge and experience to the people of Rwanda,” Amb. Hwang said.

In line with the agreement, several grant aid programmes will be implemented this year, according to a statement from the ministry.

The key programmes include human resources development for civil service capacity building, capacity building for technical/vocational skills development system, capacity building for tax and customs services, as well as the capacity building for industrial research and development.

Rwanda and Korea also agreed on a project for improving the concept of voluntary community work, locally known as Umuganda, using Korea’s ‘Saemaul Undong’ approach.

The Saemaul Undong movement was a community-driven development programme of the Republic of Korea in the 1970s.

Rwanda and Korea collaborate in a wide range of areas, including infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, ICT and capacity building.

The Korean government has supported several local projects such as the Integrated Rural Development Project in Kibeho, the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre campus at Kicukiro, and the construction of the ICT school for the University of Rwanda’s Huye campus.

Last year, South Korea’s largest telecom firm, Korea Telecom, entered into an agreement with Rwanda to deploy 4G LTE broadband network across the country, a move that has seen fast, reliable and cheaper Internet services.