The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MINAFFET) has convened a working retreat for Rwandan Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions aimed at improving cohesion between the Ministry, embassies and consulates.

The two-day event at Prime Holdings bringing together ambassadors, heads of different government institutions and legislators will also be used as a platform to reflect on what the country has achieved on the diplomatic front.

Officiating at the opening of the high level retreat, the Foreign affairs Minister Rosemary Museminali said that it will be held annually and will serve to review how the diplomatic missions operate and how they can be empowered to work more effectively and efficiently.

"During this retreat we will revisit the ways our diplomatic missions work especially during these hard times of the global financial crisis. We will have to shift from the orthodox ways embassies work to venture beyond politics, into investment promotion and more,” challenged Museminali.

She said that embassies have an all important role to play during this global turmoil but will have to repackage themselves and prioritise key areas that will help to bridge the gaps in the economy of the country during the crisis.

The minister added that beyond maintaining good bilateral relations between Rwanda and their respective countries, embassies are capable of wooing potential investors, sourcing for ICT knowledge as well as luring academics and tourists to Rwanda.

Museminali said that amid scarce resources, 85 percent of the Ministry’s total budget goes towards supporting diplomatic missions and as part of the government plan, embassies will also play a role in promoting the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) programme.

Efforts will be directed towards promoting investment drivers such as technology transfer, infrastructure development, education, investment promotion and development cooperation.

Rwanda has over 20 diplomatic missions spread across the globe and a number of consulates all aimed at fostering bilateral relations and promoting the country’s foreign policy.     

Ends