President Paul Kagame and Howard Buffett on November 7 met to discuss the implementation of ongoing projects between the government of Rwanda and the Howard G. Buffet Foundation (HGBF). The meeting took place in Village Urugwiro. Buffett is chair and chief executive of the HGBF, a private charitable foundation working to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations. In 2015, the American billionaire expressed an ambitious plan to invest up to $500 million to support Rwanda’s agricultural development. The investment which was to be made in phases, he said, would support agricultural development in the country. With the funding, there are different projects that have since been operational in Rwanda with a focus on technology-led agricultural systems and community empowerment. Some include Nasho Irrigation Scheme and the establishment of Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA). The irrigation project which is worth $54 million started in 2017 in Kirehe District, consisting of a solar power plant with a capacity of 3.3 megawatts to power the irrigation system. The project is made of 63 centre pivots irrigation systems; irrigating 1,173 hectares belonging to 2,099 smallholder farmers. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, it has made a significant impact on the agriculture sector and livelihoods of beneficiaries. On the other hand, the institute that the partners put in place aims at enabling smallholder farmers to produce healthy, abundant, low-cost food in sustainable ways in addition to developing profitable businesses. With their main campus located in Bugesera District, RICA offers a 3-year Bachelor of Science degree in Conservation Agriculture, blending classroom learning with hands-on education. Meanwhile, last year, the government and foundation have embarked on a partnership to establish a research and extension centre. This, Buffett has deemed to be Africa’s largest agricultural research centre as it will see the construction of a 36-kilometre road connecting Nasho Sector of Kirehe District with the agricultural institute, RICA, in Bugesera District.
