British Devt Secretary visits

British Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening arrives in the country today to assess the impact of the UK’s development assistance to the country. A statement from the State secretariat said Greening is expected to tour various projects funded by Britain through the Department for International Development (DfID). She will visit Kigali and Gikomero and also meet Rwandans who have benefited from a range of Britain’s development programmes.Speaking about her first visit as Development Secretary, Greening said: “I am visiting Rwanda to see for myself how Britain’s development support is making a difference to people on the ground.” She also expected to hold discussions with the Rwanda senior government officials regarding UK-Rwanda relations. The UK, through DfID is one of Rwanda’s biggest bilateral development partners, providing predictable levels of resources in support of Rwanda’s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). The bilateral assistance from the UK totals up to £50 million (about Rwf51 billion) each year, part of which is channelled towards budget support. Focus of the bilateral assistance is mainly on poverty reduction, with a specific contribution to education, agriculture, and land reform, as well as support for public financial management. The UK in March released £16 million (Rwf16 billion) package of development support to Rwanda. The money was part of the £21million (about Rwf21 billion) of general budget support to Rwanda that the UK Government had suspended in November last year over allegations that Kigali supports Congolese M23 rebels. The British bilateral programme has provided around £380 million about (Rwf85 billion) to Rwanda over the past 10 years.

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British Devt Secretary visits