Gatete: Let’s own devt projects

Rwandans have been urged to own poverty reduction programmes to make government’s five-year poverty eradication strategy a success. Addressing Kanyinya residents in Nyarugenge District after community work on Saturday, Amb. Claver Gatete said enforcing family performance contracts was one way to achieve development goals. The second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) aims at rapid economic growth, poverty reduction, creation of more off farm jobs, reduction of external dependency and making the private sector an engine of development. Other development targets include ensuring education for all, increasing the number of vocational and technical schools and ensuring that every Rwandan has health insurance cover to have a healthy and productive population. Despite the plans, Amb. Gatete said the country would not achieve anything without the ownership spirit of the citizens. “The government is doing all these supported by other partners, but we want your contribution. Let’s endeavour to move a step further for the next five years to make the future generation different,” Amb. Gatete said.During community, Umuganda, work on Saturday, residents were joined by the Ministry of Finance officials and 40 visiting members of the Kenyan County Assembly who have been in the country on a study tour since Friday. The exercise saw participants set pipes in a water channel in a project that will extend water to 15,000 residents of Kanyinya Sector. The project is under EDPRS II. Amb. Gatete said government is improving road infrastructure, while also increasing the export products so as to increase foreign exchange earnings. He commended Kanyinya residents for digging a 15-kilometre water channel which will serve residents of Taba, Nyamweru and Nzove, three cells that make up Kanyinya Sector. The residents said having access to clean water was good news because they have been using water from Yanze stream which is in a distance of more than two kilometres from their homes. They said the water from the stream is not safe for human consumption and remains a death trap as residents risk drowning. Ward Kabarnet, one of the visiting Kenyans, appreciated community work as an opportunity to bind community together and encourage good governance. The evaluation of EDPRS I indicates that the five-year programme reduced poverty by 12 per cent and the country achieved an average of 8.2 per cent of economic growth. It lifted one million people from poverty. Launched in February 2012, the EDPRS II targets a rapid growth of 11.5 per cent, poverty reduction with 15 per cent points, to increase private sector investment, among other things.

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Gatete: Let’s own devt projects