Public Private Partnerships top on agenda

KIGALI - The 8th Development Partners’ Meeting (DPM) expected to start today will focus on how the private sector can be empowered to help Rwanda achieve her long term development agenda.

The DPM is an annual event that brings together government officials and both local and international development partners.

The theme of this year’s meeting that is expected to bring together 400 participants is "Beyond Aid: innovation mechanism for financing the EDPRS.’

According to James Musoni, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, it serves as a forum to discuss strategic policies that will facilitate the fast tracking of the country’s development.

"The traditional financing mechanism will not take us anywhere we want to formulate ways of mobilising resources amongst ourselves and we are looking at strengthening the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs),” Musoni said in a press briefing yesterday ahead of the event.

He said that whereas some countries use the DPM kind of forum as a fundraising opportunity, it is not the case for Rwanda as it only serves as a platform to discuss development and how it can be achieved.

"The partners are not here to support Rwanda; they are here to render support to our programmes and those programmes have to be in line with our national priorities,” said Musoni, who co-chaired the briefing with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Aurérien Agbénonci.

Agbénonci was representing the development partners in his capacity as the UN Resident Coordinator has done so in past meetings.

The minister said that the achievement of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) will depend on the active participation of the private sector.

The EDPRS is a five-year programme that was launched last year, to steer the country towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

"We have big projects in the pipeline which include the Dar es Salaam-Kigali railway project, the Kampala-Kigali oil pipeline, the methane gas project and the new international airport which cannot be solely funded by the government and donors, that’s why we want a vibrant private sector to partner with us,” said Musoni.

The two-day meeting that will take place at the Kigali Serena Hotel will focus on the development registered in Rwanda, the progress in the implementation of MDGs and the country’s microeconomic performance in 2008 and emerging challenges and opportunities for 2009.

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