Infrastructure development priority – Minister Musoni

Finance and economic planning minister, James Musoni has said Rwanda has made infrastructure development a priority in order to reduce the cost of doing business.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Finance and economic planning minister, James Musoni has said Rwanda has made infrastructure development a priority in order to reduce the cost of doing business.

Real estate and home developers in the country complain that it is very costly to build in Rwanda. In some places investors have to build roads, connect water and power to their sites. Musoni said the free trade zone the railway line from Isaka to Kigali, and the construction of a new airport at Bugesera will bring down doing business costs in Rwanda.

The minister was addressing a delegation from the African Development Corporation (ADC) at Kigali Serena Hotel on Monday.

He also believes the country’s financial sector must be developed in order to provide a logistical link to the business community.

"Our second priority is developing the financial sector to give support to the private sector and the third priority is tourism," he added.

Inflation to be controlled

Francoise Kanimba, the governor of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) said that the government will maintain single digit inflation.

"The high costs of energy and food prices accounted for the escalating inflation in the last three years. There has also been constant increase in fuel prices on the international market," Kanimba said. He cited terracing, use of fertilisers, use of improved and selected seeds as some strategies of increasing agriculture output—thus lowering food prices.

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