UK official praises Rwanda’s recovery

KIGALI - Rwanda’s progress and rebuilding after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is an outstanding example to show other conflict ravaged countries worldwide that it is possible to re-establish a stable, secure and growing economy after years of devastating civil strife, a senior UK government official said yesterday. The British Prime Minister’s Special Representative of Peace Building, Dr. Jack McConnell, said this after holding discussions with President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village. McConnell said Rwanda’s current leadership and its strategy to put the country back on the prosperity path is an inspiration to the international community to support the country even in the hardest of times. “The Government of Rwanda has a very clear strategy for the country. When the Government has a clear strategy, it makes it easier for the international community to support that strategy. Not just to provide finance but also to help in many other ways such as promoting the country, supporting the people even in hard times. It’s a government that is determined to deliver for its people,” McConnell observed. He said that Rwanda’s progress over 15 years has not been achieved anywhere else and that it is the people of Rwanda that have shown resilience and determination to get back to their feet to play an active role in the country’s development. McConnell added that despite the international community not paying attention to the Genocide against the Tutsi, the country has managed to put its past behind and proved sceptics wrong by undertaking a major development strategy, propelling the country to the category of the world’s fast emerging economies and attracting the attention of the international community. “For the last 15 years, the people of Rwanda have worked hard, they have rebuilt the country, they have promoted this country to the rest of the world and with a positive image----to that, the people of Rwanda deserve some incredible credit. We also (the international community) need to respond to this and support the people of Rwanda to continue developing,” McConnell said. He added that among other things, Rwanda’s troops in Darfur are heavily recognised for their professional behaviour on the peacekeeping mission and it is a message to the whole world, that despite the International community not responding to the call to halt the genocide in 1994, it will not sit back and watch as it happens anywhere else. The British official hailed the good governance process the government has put in place as well as a pro-people taxation procedures, which can be a model elsewhere. He added that governance that involves all people is capable of achieving all development aspirations. He also hailed the cleanliness exhibited in the country. Ends

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UK official praises Rwanda’s recovery