Rwanda can be a driving force in the economic and political integration of the Great Lakes region, a visiting German official has said. 

Dirk Niebel, the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, made the remarks shortly after meeting Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi and Amb. Claver Gatete, the minister for finance, in Kigali, yesterday.

Niebel told journalists that Rwanda’s "influential” position in the region can be augmented by its recent significant progress in socio-economic progress. 

"In its development strategy, Rwanda is counting on growth and promotion of the private sector which has proven to be successful,” he said, adding that it was equally important to ensure regional security to sustain the achieved success. 

"I encourage Rwanda to continue to play a constructive role for peace and security and to foster the political and economic integration of the Great Lakes Region,” Niebel said. 

Niebel added that his government will continue supporting projects in the country aimed at eradicating poverty. 

He said the German Development Cooperation in Rwanda supports projects that are designed to ensure growth that is beneficial to the wider population, especially the most vulnerable.

Niebel and his delegation, including a member of the German federal parliament, Manfred Todtenhausen, arrived on Sunday.

The delegation toured infrastructure projects supported by German Development Cooperation in Bugesera District. 

These include electrification in Gashora Sector, a regional bus station in Nyamata and Gahanga modern market. 

The meetings

Earlier yesterday, the German minister held a series of closed-door meetings with deputies and senators during which they discussed different issues. 

Minister Gatete commended the relationship between the two countries saying that Germany understood Rwanda’s development priorities. 

Early this year, the German government unfroze aid to Rwanda worth about Rwf17.5 billion, six months after suspending it over a controversial UN report alleging that Rwanda supported the M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo.  

"Germany has been with us since 1994 and in the last three years, we had an agreement where they have been supporting most of our activities in technical and vocational area, local government, public financial management and now they are involved in other areas of trade and investment,” said the minister. 

He added: "Since they are members of international organisations such as the World Bank and Africa Development Bank, they have been supporting us to get resources from these international financial institutions. So our cooperation cannot be any better.”   

After becoming the first European country to resume normal development partnerships with Rwanda, Nieber said, Germany also campaigned for others, including multilateral organizations to follow suit.