Regional defence officials impressed by Rwanda tour

Rwanda has some of the most efficient and modern defence institutions, which make the country a good case study for other countries on the continent to learn from in regard to policies and strategies on security. The observation was made by Maj. Gen. Antony M Rob who is leading a delegation of 16 faculty members and students from the Kenya National Defence College (KNDC) currently undertaking a study tour in the country. Speaking to the press yesterday shortly after holding discussions with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen Charles Kayonga, the Kenyan Navy officer said that Rwanda’s defence institutions are “modern and futuristic” and are good example of how good planning and good policies are important in maintaining state security. “The Rwanda forces are modern and futuristic and they are there to ensure state security,” Maj. Gen Rob said. He added that due to regional integration, on top of individual planning for national security, countries today come together to plan for the general security of their regions or continents and it is in that regard that the students learn from experiences of different countries including Rwanda. “We think Rwanda is a modern country with very important lessons to draw from and which lessons, if adhered to and adopted by others, then national security would be ensured,” he added. According to the Army and Defence Spokesperson Lt. Col Jill Rutaremara, the senior officers from one of the leading military colleges on the continent will be in the country for a week and will visit a number of government institutions as well as visit several parts of the country. “They wanted to know how the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) work, where we came from, challenges we met along the way and where we are today. They will also visit different ministries and our military academies as well as different projects run by RDF,” Rutaremara said. “The discussions also focussed mainly on regional stability particularly with the neighbouring DRC and they were also interested in knowing how our army contributes to the development process,” he added. The officers will also visit several industries, agricultural projects, the national museum and the methane gas project on L. Kivu. They will visit the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Trade as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. One of the officers Col. Antony Marie Twagirayezu said that Rwanda offers a good example on how countries can be able to develop through good policy planning and strategies and also show the role the defence institutions in the development process. “What we see in Rwanda in terms of development is a good example of how good planning in the area of security can pay off. We think that what Rwanda has achieved should be a good example for other countries to learn from,” Twagirayezu who hails from Burundi said. The members of the team are from eight African countries including Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Burundi, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and the host country Kenya. Ends