Agaciro contribution rises to Rwf18bn

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning has revealed that contributions to the Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF) have hit Rwf18bn in less than a month.AgDF is a solidarity fund that was initiated by Rwandans to improve the level of financial autonomy of Rwanda as a nation. Contributing to the Fund is voluntary.Addressing a news conference yesterday, John Rwangombwa said that no one is obliged to contribute to the Fund. The minister urged local leaders and institutions not to force and decide for people the amount to contribute. “Forcing any person to contribute their monthly salary is unacceptable.”He revealed that cases of districts intending to cut teachers’ salaries with the intension of channelling it to the fund have been reported. “There were some cases where districts had started cutting teachers’ salaries without of agreement and we decided to hold it until they (teachers) understand it and decide for themselves” he said. “I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the Fund; thanks to them, we managed to reach such a big amount in less than a month”“The Fund will be managed with utmost transparency.”“The money in the fund will be managed as the governmental budget and audited by Auditor General.”Rwangombwa told reporters that the money will be used in various developmental activities to reduce poverty especially in rural development.“We prioritise rural development and save for future use in other development projects,” he added.Agaciro Development Fund is an initiative that was set up to raise more domestic resources to help accelerate economic development.

National

Agaciro contribution rises to Rwf18bn