As Rwanda strives to become a middle income country by 2020, the World Bank has expressed interest in supporting the country’s urbanisation programme.

This was said by the visiting World Bank Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, after meeting with President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro yesterday.

Addressing the media, Indrawati commended Rwanda’s partnership with the Bank, saying that her institution was a proud partner for the country’s work toward poverty eradication.

"We have a very good partnership and programme with Rwanda because this country is in a very unique situation because they have tried to move ahead in terms of eradicating poverty and share prosperity,” she said.

"We also talked about urbanisation which I think is more important given the vision of the country to become a middle income country in 2020. The phenomenon of urbanisation in middle-income countries always comes with opportunities and challenges so it is good for Rwanda to learn from it and design it in a way that would create a good economic growth that’s socially and environmentally sustainable,” Indrawati added.

Finance and Economic Planning minister Claver Gatete said part of the money coming from the World Bank ($84 million) will be invested in urbanisation, while the country is also expecting $80 million that will be channelled toward poverty eradication.

Currently, the Bank has a three-year programme worth $730 million that is underway and the funds are meant to facilitate several socio-economic development initiatives.

Indrawati, who arrived in Rwanda from DR Congo on Wednesday, spent time visiting Goma-Rubavu border as she looked at possibilities of facilitating cross–border trade and infrastructure development, which would boost development between the two countries.

She later proceeded to Nyabihu District where she toured an agricultural demonstration project, one of the schemes the Bank supports in the country.

"I think the agricultural projects are very important not only in improving food security but also addressing of poverty, sharing prosperity and creating less uncertainties for the farmers by making land more productive as well as improving financial inclusion to sustain the progress,” Indrawati said referring to her visits in the countryside.

The World Bank has partnered with the government in areas that include; electricity access, water harvesting, hillside irrigation social protection programmes, transport sector development among other areas.

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