Rwanda will not be affected by Canadian aid cut -Gov’t

Rwanda is not going to be affected by the Canadian government decision to cut aid to 12 poor countries as its contribution to the economy is insignificant, a senior government official has said.“We (Rwanda) will not be affected, Canada has no direct budget support; they have been funding small and very negligible projects,” said Elias Bayingana Director of Budget in the Ministry of Finance and Economic planning.Reports from The Montreal Gazette indicate that 12 of the world’s poorest countries would be hit as the Canadian government intends to slash $377 million in foreign aid over the next three years.The countries that are likely to be affected by the Canadian government’s decision include, Benin, Niger, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are expected to lose virtually all Canadian aid funding.Information from Finance ministry external finance department indicates that this year, the Canadian government released at total of $3,017 million compared to $3,448 million last year.The funds disbursed from Canada have been channeled to different sectors including agriculture, education and rural local governance. “It is not a big deal to Rwanda and really has no impact on our development cooperation as their contribution has not been such significant,” emphasised Ronald Nkusi Director of External Finance Unit in the ministry of Finance and economic planning.The media reports also said the affected countries will be officially informed in the coming weeks on how the changes will impact them.According to the Montreal Gazette the impact on each country is not yet clear. Similar reductions are also planned for other five of the major recipients of Canadian aid including Afghanistan, Bolivia, Mozambique, Pakistan and Tanzania.The reports further noted that Benin, Niger, Cambodia, Rwanda and Zambia, had already been downgraded as aid partners since 2009.

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Rwanda will not be affected by Canadian aid cut -Gov’t