Government has committed to spend Rwf11.9bn on Rwanda Investment Climate Project, a three-year programme designed to reduce the cost and risk of doing business in the country.

The programme is bankrolled by the government of Rwanda and the Investment Climate Facility (ICF) for Africa. 

The government will provide 60 percent (Rwf 7.1bn) of the funds needed while ICF will contribute 40 percent (Rwf 4.7bn) to the programme which is targeting modernizing land registry, business registration and resolution of business disputes.

In an exclusive interview with The New Times, the project coordinator Odette Uwamariya said the programme is meant to compliment other government initiatives to improve business climate.

"Investment Climate is a broad aspect and this programme is aimed at complimenting other initiatives undertaken by the government to spur deeper investment climate reforms,” she said.

Uwamariya highlighted that business disputes resolution is vital in building investor confidence and to that effect the newly established commercial courts had resolved over 4,000 commercial disputes by 30th June 2009.

"Commercial courts became operational in May 2008 and inherited a backlog of 3,333 ocases from classical courts. 2,458 more cases were received. A total of 4,574 had been resolved as at 30th June 2009,” she added.

She added that the programme also envisaged training of judicial officers in commercial disputes resolution matters and a fully stuffed library has been established to assist judges and registrars in research.

She said the land registry is undergoing modernization with emphasis on improving land registration and administration.
She added a similar programme is underway to modernize the business registry which is currently under Rwanda Development Board.

She said the Rwanda Investment Capacity is facilitating improvement in doing business by supporting efficient enforcement of contracts, registration of property and starting a business.

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