The government has commended the role of Oxfam International Rwanda Programme, giving special mention of the development partner’s interventions in poverty reduction and peace building over the past four decades.

Speaking in Kigali as Oxfam Rwanda marked 40 years of operation in the country, on Friday, Dr Octave Semwaga, the director-general of strategic planning and programmes coordination in the Ministry of Agriculture, said Oxfam Rwanda has been supporting farmers to improve production and add value to their produce.

"Oxfam Rwanda has been supporting government’s initiatives across different sectors and particularly with the Ministry of Agriculture on encouraging farmers to use fertilisers and supporting agro-processing to add value to the produce,” Semwaga said.

Patrick Wajero, the Oxfam country director, appreciated the government’s achievements in national reconciliation and poverty reduction, saying the country is on the right track to become a middle-income country by 2020.

"As Oxfam celebrates 40 years of fruitful collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, civil society and grassroots communities, I appreciate tremendous progress that the country has made and I am very optimistic it will achieve vision 2020,” he said.

During the ceremony, Oxfam launched the next five-year country strategy which seeks to promote livelihoods, participatory governance and gender justice. editorial@newtimes.co.rw