The Diplomatic Corps has hailed the country’s socio-economic development gains and its rich cultural wealth.

The diplomats were speaking during a weekend upcountry tour in the Southern and Western provinces.

Diplomatic Corps include heads of diplomatic and consular missions as well as regional and international organisations accredited to a country.

Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the excursion aimed at giving the diplomats the opportunity to get to know more about the diversity and beauty of Rwanda beyond the City of Kigali, according to officials.

It was the third diplomatic upcountry excursion since 2009 when the programme was initiated.

This year’s tour focused on cultural tourism, environmental protection, energy investments and promotion of trans-border trade, among others.

On Friday, the diplomats visited the King’s Royal Palace where they were exposed to a detailed look into the Rwandan traditional seat of monarchy.

Based in the southern district of Nyanza, about 88 kilometres south of Kigali, the palace was the abode of King Mutara III Rudahigwa. It has since been turned into a museum.

After the visit to the palace, the envoys headed to Western Province where they toured, among other projects, the site of a new hydropower plant on Rusizi River at the border with DR Congo.

Rusizi III Project is expected to generate at least 147MW upon completion. The electricity will be equally shared between Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.

They also visited the Ruhwa One-Stop Border Post between at the border with Burundi in Rusizi District.

Launched last year, the border post is credited with promoting and accelerating business transactions between the two countries while at the same time reducing the time spent on clearing documents for travellers.

Under the one border post, travellers access services at one spot and officials said the processing of documentation takes only about five minutes, which is considerably minimal  than in the past when documents were processed at two locations in both countries.

Other sites and projects visited include Sinelac (Société Internationale d’Electricité des Grands Lacs), a project that provides energy to Rwanda, DR Congo and Burundi, as well as Mashyuza hot springs, a site with therapeutic and geothermal potential.

Pakistani High Commissioner to Rwanda, Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui, said the tour left him "impressed.”

"It is impressive the way Rwanda has developed in terms of infrastructure and other socio-economic aspects. There is a lot to learn from that,” Siddiqui, whose residence is in Kenya, said.

Uganda’s High Commissioner to Rwanda Richard Kabonero said it is striking to see how "the whole country is developing” at the same level.

Kabonero, who is the dean of diplomats accredited to Rwanda, said it is clear the country’s development is not concentrated in the capital Kigali, adding that this should "serve as a lesson for other countries.”

First-hand information

Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the diplomatic excursion was a good way of introducing the Missions to different parts of the country other than Kigali.

Mushikiwabo also said it is an opportunity to introduce local community and its socio-economy achievements to foreign missions.

"This is an opportunity for heads of Missions to get firsthand information on the progress achieved by local entities, and also a way of building and developing cooperation between countries, regional and international organisation,” said Mushikiwabo.