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Tony Blair congratulates Rwanda on its continued development during latest two day visit

Tony Blair, Patron of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), completed a two-day visit to Rwanda where he reviewed ongoing progress by the Government of Rwanda in delivering its priorities for social and economic development. He met with President Kagame, the Prime Minister, senior ministers and officials, to discuss AGI’s continuing support to the Government of Rwanda.

Speaking during the visit, Tony Blair said: “I am always impressed by the progress being made here and by the energy of the Government in improving the lives of all Rwandans across education, health, skills and employment. I am also extremely proud that my team from the Africa Governance Initiative is working side by side with their Rwandan counterparts to deliver these aims.”

President Kagame said: “This partnership with AGI is exemplary; in the last two years, it has produced substantive and tangible results.”

During the trip, Tony Blair and President Kagame visited the new multi-million dollar Inyange Processing plant, where they saw state of the art facilities and heard how the industry had grown since the birth of the company in 1999.

Tony Blair said: “Projects like this demonstrate what Rwanda is capable of. This factory not only offers employment to those working here but it also provides a much needed market for Rwandan farmers to sell their produce. Investments such as this are evidence of the great strides being made to create a business friendly environment in Rwanda.”

Ahead of the upcoming Presidential election Tony Blair met, aside from President Kagame, with the two other candidates Damascene Ntawukuriryayo and Prosper Higiro from the Social Democratic Party and Liberal Party respectively. He also met with a number of development partners such as the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and the Belgium Technical Corporation, to discuss the effectiveness of capacity building initiatives in driving Rwanda’s development.

Tony Blair's visit takes place two years after the Africa Governance Initiative first started work in Rwanda. The charitable organisation works with select African governments to assist them in developing their capacity to deliver on their reform agendas and attract sustainable investment. AGI provides advisors in the President and Prime Minister’s Offices, the Rwanda Development Board and the Public Sector Capacity Building Secretariat.