Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller and RDB CEO, Clare Akamanzi
Kigali: Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller left after two day successful visit in Rwanda to continue his Central and East Africa trip. His mayor focus lays on the promotion of investments, the fight against pandemics and climate and environmental protection.
“Climate protection, raw materials, investments for more jobs – in Africa many of the questions that bother us in Germany are decided. The Marshall Plan with Africa is beginning to take effect, and German-African trade has grown at a clearly above-average rate in the first five months of the year. This dynamic must now be reinforced by an innovation and investment offensive on the African continent, which must also be reflected in our and the EU budget,” said Minister Müller before his departure.
On his first stop in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, Minister Müller met with German entrepreneurs to ex-change on the business climate in Rwanda, amongst them Siemens, Kochendörfer and Volkswagen Rwanda, represented by CEO Michaella Rugwizangoga. He also used the opportunity to talk to GIZ and KfW.
Development Minister Müller: “Rwanda is a good example of how a consistent reform policy and the promotion of investment attract companies from all over the world. We are committed to making it possible for the private sector to continue to invest more and to improve vocational training. At the same time, I will clearly address existing short comings in democracy and the rule of law.”
He was welcomed by Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister of the MINICOFIN and Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, State Minister of the MINAFFET, to discuss potential future cooperation and intensification of the existing partnership with the Federal Republic of Germany.
Afterwards he signed a MoU with the RDB on fostering economic development in Rwanda and cre-ate vocational training and job opportunities, especially for young people, with a view to giving people new options for a better future.
Rwanda is a partner country within the G20 Compact with Africa. In that context, it has committed itself to improving the country’s business environment in order to foster higher levels of investment, greater economic growth and, thus, the creation of more jobs.
The BMZ is supporting the G20 Compact with Africa in Rwanda by providing assistance from its new Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation. With this special initiative, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany wants, among other things, to develop joint projects with African, German and European businesses that will help reduce disincentives to investment and thereby foster the creation of jobs and training places. The measures planned so far are to create, or improve the conditions of, 2,200 jobs and 4,500 training places.
Before concluding his visit, he held fruitful bilateral talks with H. E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. (End)