WESTERN PROVINCE KARONGI — The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has agreed to assist local entities to spur investment activities within the tourism sector in the Western Province. This was one of the proposals suggested at a consultative meeting held to discuss potential investment projects in the province, last week. The meeting, held at the provincial headquarters, attracted officials from the RDB,the provincial governor Celestin Kabahizi and mayors from area districts. In his opening remarks, Kabahizi said the province would closely work with RDB to implement such investment projects in order to accelerate development in the area. “This meeting is essential as it helps us to adopt development targets in the province,” he said. “We are ready to work closely with RDB in ensuring that good development projects are implemented in this region’. George Mulamula, the RDB principal deputy Chief Executive Office said that the meeting was called to closely look at ways of harnessing potential investment projects at the local levels in line with the Vision 2020. “We cannot do everything while sitting in Kigali…that’s why we come on the ground to help districts to understand the potential investment projects which are worth pursuing,” Mulamula said in a separate interview with The New Times. The RDB acting director general in charge of investment promotion, Rosemary Mbabazi Mugisha, requested the district authorities to identify three developmental projects from which RDB will choose a potential project to be financed at a provincial level. Mbabazi explained that while working with the area focal point and districts officials, RDB’s intervention would be in terms of financial and other forms of technical support. Each district, she added, will fully fund a new project of their choice, while RDB’s intervention in such ventures will be through the provision of other forms of assistance in terms of capacity building, writing project proposals and financing their training sessions. Ends