Agaciro Development Fund a welcome move

The establishment of the Agaciro Development Fund (AfDf), a sovereign fund that was proposed during last year’s National Dialogue, is a great opportunity for Rwandans from all walks of life to actively participate in their nation’s desire to wean itself off foreign aid.Although this Fund was spearheaded by members of the Rwandan community living abroad, it should be embraced by all Rwandans.The voluntary resources that will be garnered through this initiative shall be used to further Rwanda’s development. It is aptly named the ‘Agaciro’ Fund. In the wake of the threatened foreign aid cuts, Rwandans must come to realise that we must take our own destiny in our hands and not expect that our development will be funded by others.It doesn’t matter whether the aid shall be handed over. The mere fact that our own development was going to be delayed because of the need for foreign monies is a dangerous trend. A trend that we cannot allow to continue. It is now the Ministry of Finance’s job to publicise this Fund, making sure that each and everyone who is willing to be a part of this initiative can do so.The Ministry should work with the Bank of Kigali, Bank Populaire du Rwanda and the National Bank of Rwanda – which host the accounts for AgDF – to ensure that it is simple to transfer money into the sovereign fund.

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Agaciro Development Fund a welcome move