KIGALI - A delegation of 11 Tanzanian officials who arrived in the country on Wednesday for a four-day study tour on how Rwanda has managed to coordinate Diaspora activities, has been impressed by the country’s accomplishments in engaging Rwandans abroad.

Yesterday, the visiting delegation met and discussed with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minaffet) officials in charge of Diaspora, and were briefed about the guiding pillars of the Diaspora Policy.

In an interview with The New Times , the head of the delegation, Bertha Semu-Somi, an official of the Tanzanian Foreign Affairs ministry in charge of Diaspora coordination engagement, explained why they chose Rwanda as a case study.

"We were told by many people, including development partners, that Rwanda has made significant progress in engaging its Diaspora. We were told that whatever government has done is really visible,” Semu-Somi said.

"There couldn’t have been a better class for us – and we have invited the Director General (Diaspora) to find some time and come to Tanzania,” she noted.

The head of the Diaspora Directorate, Robert Masozera, and Eugene Kandekwe, the national coordinator of the Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) Great Lakes Programme, informed the visitors on the various initiatives the Rwandan Diaspora as engaged in.

Festo Mlele, a Principal Economist in the Directorate of Economic Research and Policy at the Bank of Tanzania, was surprised when he was informed that the Rwandan community in Tanzania had come top in contributing to the One Dollar Campaign project last year.

"What matters most is the commitment Rwandans have, and the patriotism – someone would have expected those in Europe to lead.” Mlele said in an interview with The New Times.

The Diaspora initiated the One Dollar Campaign with an aim of seeking accommodation for homeless orphans of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

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