Rwandan envoy presents credentials in Iceland

The Rwandan Ambassador to Iceland with residence in Sweden, Christine Nkulikiyinka on Wednesday presented her letters of credence to the President of Iceland, Mr. Guoni Thorlacius Johannesson.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

The Rwandan Ambassador to Iceland with residence in Sweden, Christine Nkulikiyinka on Wednesday presented her letters of credence to the President of Iceland, Mr. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson.President Jóhannesson commended Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery and development saying that Icelanders should learn about Rwanda’s recovery from tragedy to a peaceful and growing country.Ambassador Nkulikiyinka noted Iceland’s world leading know-how in geothermal and hydropower production as a sector of interest for Rwanda.Capacity building in aviation and land recovery from erosion as well as tourism are also potential areas of cooperation.Iceland is the only Country in Europe currently sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.In 2014 Iceland had hydroelectric power stations with a total installed capacity of 1.986 MW, generating 72% of the country's electricity production.The installed generation capacity of geothermal power plants totalled 665 MW. Iceland has a population of just over 300,000.Iceland hosts the United Nations University Geothermal Training programme (UNU GTP) to which Rwanda has in the past sent students for training.President Jóhannesson also said he was impressed by Rwanda’s efforts and achievements in gender equality.Through a collaboration with the World Bank and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) has funded capacity building for geothermal drilling in Rwanda.