The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosemary Museminali tabled Rwanda’s development agenda in a global forum aimed at addressing current global downturn in Tallberg, Sweden. Speaking at the forum Museminali, explored the country’s social, political and Economic recovery after 1994 Genocide against Tutsis noting that the country development is positive despite prevailing challenges. “It is today a country full of hope despite many challenges ahead”, she noted. In her address the Minister illustrated the subsequent challenges after the Genocide especially in reconstructing a collapsed economic and social infrastructure as well as promoting reconciliation after the loss. Museminali noted that Rwandans and their leadership have been working hand in hand to lay a good foundation for political, social and economic transformation. “The country has moved from being fully dependent on donor funding for recurrent and development budget, to covering at least 56% of the totally budget,” Museminali said. The Minister, revealed that this year, Rwanda anticipates the growth to fall to about 6%, noting that increased production challenges are opportunities for investment. Museminali called for conservation of environment for the promotion of agricultural produce that continues to be a major earning for many African countries. “Environment is a priority development objective that cuts across all development sectors. There is need to recognize the challenges in its protection. We will need to explore more aggressively innovative financing schemes for protecting our environment,” Museminali concluded. Over 500 leaders from all over the world participated in the 2009 Tallberg Forum; the participants discussed the current global crises in finance, economies, labour markets, governance, security, climate, and ecosystems. Ends
