REMA, private sector partner in conservation

The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) and Private Sector Federation have agreed to work togethr to address  environmental degradation.

Saturday, March 02, 2013
Namara (L) and Mukankomeje exchange the MoU. The New Times/ T. Kisambira.

The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (Rema) and Private Sector Federation have agreed to work togethr to address  environmental degradation.Rose Mukankomeje, the director-general of Rema, said this Thursday after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Hannington  Namara, the chief executive officer of Private Sector Federation (PSF), to establish long-term collaboration in a range of issues."Capacity building, sharing information and including environmental preservation in Private Sector Federation plans are the main purpose of this agreement,” said Namara.The pact seeks to enhance protection and promotion of environmental conservation among the business community to ensure a cleaner and healthy environment.The understanding will also help in conducting awareness campaigns as well as inspection of environmental laws.Many members of the private sector this paper talked to confessed they are not conversant with environmental laws.Claude Munyaneza, a businessman in Gikondo, said apart from being told not to pack goods in plastic bags, he knows nothing about the law.His colleague Bosco Bahati also confessed to similar ignorance and welcomed efforts geared toward creating public awareness.Namara said they will disseminate information through 72 associations of business operators the private sector works with across the country using various medium.