The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional window of the African Development Bank (AfDB)Group, last week approved a US$35m loan to promote Rwanda’s livestock.
 
The amount will be disbursed under the country's Livestock Infrastructure Support Programme (LISP), which will be implemented over four fiscal years, 2011 to 2015.

Ernest Ruzindaza, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, welcomed the support adding that part of the fund will be allocated to solve the water problem facing livestock in the Eastern Province.

"The Eastern Province has a problem of water shortage for the livestock. We want to utilise some of this money to solve the problem,” he said.

He noted that the money will also help construct 30 milk collection centres, which he said will enable farmers access markets for their products.

The LISP is the AfDB’s second sector it finances through direct budget support.

The goal of the programme is to create an enabling environment that will stimulate the development of a modern livestock industry in Rwanda through value addition and access to markets in order to encourage diversification of the economy, sustain growth, create jobs and alleviate poverty.

Both small scale farmers and large-scale agro-industrialists will benefit from the programme, Ruzindaza said.

Some of the money is also expected to facilitate the construction of veterinary clinics.

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