KIGALI - A new immigration policy has been designed in an effort to merge Rwanda’s development strategies with the flow of people into the country. This was disclosed yesterday by President Paul Kagame during a press conference at his office at Village Urugwiro. When asked to elaborate on the policy, the Minister in the President’s Office, Solina Nyirahabimana, said that the immigration law in force gives no room for new incentives.

She said that the major aim of this new policy is to open Rwandan doors to foreigners while maintaining national security.

Nyirahabimana said that the policy would require the Ministry of Public Service and Labour to indicate labour gaps which would serve as a basis to enlist the services of foreigners in the country.

According to the new policy, the immigration office will be working with different government institutions in the implementation of this policy.

The Director General of the Rwanda Office for Immigrations Anaclet Kalibata said that the category of service required will determine the institutions that will merit consideration.

"We shall for example, be dealing with RIEPA in matters to do with business migration programme…under this we shall classify investors into the larger investors, multinational companies and medium companies,” Kalibata said by phone last evening.

He said that this document has already been approved by cabinet. "What is remaining is the passing of the laws that will complement the document.

"Actually some provisions in the document that do not need legislation are already in force,” Kalibata said.

 About attracting foreign skilled workers to the country, he said that the Ministry of Public Service and Labour is working on a skills auditing exercise to ascertain the categories of skills needed in the country.

During yesterday’s press conference, President Kagame requested the Minister of Education, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya to clarify on the issue of Unilak, a local private university.

She said the institute had been accorded a one-year period to fulfill the necessary requirements requested by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) in order to be accredited as a university.
"The council found many facilities lacking, so we decided to give them until December 31 after which the council will go back to inspect,” Mujawamariya said.

 The issue of Unilak has been lingering for the last 10 years and past students have been struggling to have their academic papers recognised.

The President also said that the land re-distribution programme was still going on after he launched it two weeks ago.

 More than 1,200 big landowners in the Eastern Province will see their holdings reduced to cater for landless local residents.
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