Rwanda, UK relations growing stronger – envoy

Bilateral ties between Rwanda and the United Kingdom continue to be strengthened, the outgoing British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Benedict Llewellyn-Jones, has said. Llewellyn-Jones was yesterday speaking to journalists after bidding farewell to President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro in Kigali as he wound up a three-year Tour of Duty. Llewellyn-Jones will be replaced by William John Gelling, who was until recently working in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. At Village Urugwiro, the UK diplomat was accompanied by his wife, Laura. Also in attendance was Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo. “For the last three years I have been in Rwanda, it was a good experience for me and my family. I enjoyed engaging with Rwandans in various developmental activities and getting to know about the country,” the envoy said. Llewellyn-Jones added that the mutual ties between the two countries and people will continue to grow in the coming years. He hailed the government’s track record on the use of aid to transform lives and the rapid growth rate. “Any achievements registered is thanks to the Rwandan government because in terms of development assistance we provided we have seen results in terms of improved school attendance, reduced maternal mortality rates and a whole host of other indicators that show that Rwanda’s growth,” the envoy. The UK, through the Department for International Development (DfID), is one of Rwanda’s largest bilateral development partners and key backers of the country’s second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRSII). Kigali has won international praise over the years for its effective use of aid that has allowed the country to turn around its economy following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “Rwanda’s growth is showing us the right way for aid usage,” Llewellyn-Jones said. The UK is particularly supportive of the education, social protection and financial sectors. The incoming High Commissioner, Gelling, said in a statement that he was looking forward to take the relations between the two countries to the next level. “I am delighted to have been appointed British High Commissioner to Rwanda. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to strengthen relations between the UK and Rwanda at such an important time. “I look forward to building on the growing links between the two countries to further our shared economic, political, and security interests,” he said in a statement posted on the High Commission website.

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Rwanda, UK relations growing stronger – envoy