Sweden’s minister for International Development and Cooperation, Gunilla Carlsson, begins a two-day official visit to Rwanda today. She is expected to fly in this morning with seven other officials en route from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and depart tomorrow. The Director of Communication in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Robert Masozera said Carlsson will meet with senior government officials and visit different projects funded by Sweden. Among the government officials she is expected to meet include Prime Minister Bernard Makuza, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Charles Murigande, State Minister in charge Cooperation Rosemary Museminari, Special Presidential Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Dr Richard Sezibera and the Secretary General in the Ministry of Internal Security, Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba. She is also expected meet with the Ombudsman, Tito Rutaremara, and the Auditor General, Evelyn Kamagaju. Carlsson will also address the Forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians and have a luncheon with the Forum of Political Parties, at which each political party will be represented by one member. She will later have a dinner with multi-and-bilateral donors on ‘One UN’ and aid harmonisation, UN Resident Representative, Unicef, UNAIDS, UNFPA, DFID, Aid Coordination Unit, World Bank representatives and several government ministers. Masozera said that Carlsson will also visit to a site of Travaux d’Intérêt Général (TIG) (for Genocide convicts) as well as a prison with the Justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama and the Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, Fatuma Ndangiza. Finance minister James Musoni and his Local Government colleague Protais Musoni are expected to brief Carlsson on budget support, good governance and decentralisation. Sweden is one of Rwanda’s major development partners. Ends
