NORTHERN PROVINCE MUSANZE — The State Minister for Natural ResourcesVincent Karega has launched the second phase of the afforestation programme in the country. The Northern Province has been chosen as one of the provinces to benefit from the Euros 10m project known as PAREF (Projet D’appui a la re afforestration au Rwanda). The three-year project will be funded by the Netherlands Government in partnership with the Rwandan government, to be implemented across 15 districts selected from three provinces of the country. The other provinces to benefit from the project include the east where three districts were chosen and west where seven districts will benefit. Claudien Habimana, the coordinator of PAREF, said that trees will be planted on over 12,000 hectares. Districts will be required to make programmes and designate areas for planting, he added. At last week’s launch, officials in charge of natural resources from all districts in the Province made a presentation highlighting the number of trees which were planted last year in their respective areas, and those expected to be planted. In his message, Karega said forestry was a key factor in combating global warming and providing home use materials.The Minister said there is need for residents to consider forestry as a form of economic activity, and called for awareness campaigns on the importance of forests. Celestin Kalabayinga, the Mayor of Musanze blamed district agronomists for not taking full responsibility and effective accountability of the trees planted. He called upon all agronomists to value planted trees, saying a lot of money is invested in them. Ends
