A delegation from the Ethiopian ministry of defence is here to exploit and learn from the RDF’s know-how in managing a successful credit and savings scheme.They want to borrow from the successes of Zigama-Credit and Savings Society (Zigama-CSS), so as to perk up a new but similar project back home.“We are here to exploit the Rwandans’ experience, especially in credit and saving facilities they have developed for the armed forces,” the head of the visiting delegation, Berhanu Abera, Ethiopia’s National Defence State Minister, told reporters yesterday.He noted that in 2010, Ethiopia established the “Army Foundation,” a project similar to the RDF and Police’s Zigama-CSS.“The main objective being to improve the quality of life through credit and saving facilities for our soldiers to build their houses, and other services.”Zigama-CSS has maintained stable growth in the recent past and is expanding its presence up-country. In April last year, it announced a net profit of over Rwf 3 billion for the year 2010.The Ethiopian official also told reporters that apart from the security concerns of the horn of Africa region, issues such as instability in Somalia and terrorist groups like al-Shabaab, the main agenda is poverty.“Therefore, the main agenda, what we are going to fight, is poverty.”Abera and his team paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Defence, Gen. James Kabarebe before heading to Zigama-CSS offices.
