Rwanda’s growth must not be interrupted – AfDB

The President of African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, has commended Rwanda’s economic and social transformation calling it a continental model that should not be interrupted by donor interests.Referring to recent aid cuts by some development partners, Kaberuka said a country at the helm of transformation and poverty reduction should not be dragged into financial delays that may hamper its steady move towards achieving targets.“I want to be clear on this one; Rwanda’s development should not be interrupted at any cost. In just eighteen years, Rwanda’s economy has been transformed and poverty has been reduced, yet now and then its partnership with several countries is put in contention,” Kaberuka told journalists at a joint news conference with the UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, yesterday.“I urge its development partners to think about the country’s development and social transformation, rethink their actions and continue their support to the country until its 2015 and 2020 visions are realised.”Helen Clark, concurred with Kaberuka, that Rwanda’s transformation is worth recognising considering its dark history.“Rwanda has a high level of aid effectiveness complimented by home grown solutions. It is a well-known country in this area and is always used as a model of growth development, social development and poverty eradication,” Clark said.“Despite the state of global economic crisis, economic growth and poverty eradication are the things that define Rwanda now and are the areas that make its social economic model very interesting on the continent.”Together with Kaberuka, Helen Clark is in the country attending the annual African Economic Conference, which is co-organised by UNDP, AfDB, running till 2 November.Clark is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Earlier, the duo had met President Kagame at Village Urugwiro.

National

Rwanda’s growth must not be interrupted – AfDB