Matthew Rycroft
The Permanent Secretary of the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), Matthew Rycroft, has started a three-day visit to Rwanda to discuss with government officials new partnership for development.
Rycroft visit to Rwanda comes at a time when the United Kingdom’s Aid reached £1 billion (Rwf1 trillion) in the past two decades.
DFID’s aid to Rwanda focuses on key areas such as land tenure, economic growth, social protection, agriculture, and education – including this year the provision of 3.8 million textbooks to primary school children across the country.
Matthew’s visit will underline the depth of the modern UK-Rwanda partnership ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London in January 2020, and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali in June 2020, a statement from the British High Commissioner in Rwanda said.
The UK-Africa Investment Summit will be hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and will bring together businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa.
The Summit will strengthen the UK’s partnership with African nations to build a secure and prosperous future for all citizens. It will mobilise new and substantial investment to create jobs and boost mutual prosperity.
Meanwhile, President Paul Kagame said during a press conference in Kigali last Friday, that Rwanda is ready to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali in June 2020.
During his stay in Rwanda, Matthew will see some of DFID’s current portfolio, including a tea programme in Nyaruguru district, Southern Province – a partnership between Unilever, Luxmi, the Wood Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and DFID, with £11.8 million Rwf14 billion) of UK Aid funding.
In the area of technology, DFID also provided £100,000 (Rwf120 million) seed funding to Ampersand – a technology start-up piloting electric motorcycles that are cheaper to purchase and run than petrol motorcycles.
On the first day, Matthew will visit Kigali Genocide Memorial – home to over 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi where they are laid to rest.
