Plus d'aide en nourriture pour le Rwanda: aïe aïe aïe!
ARI/RNA
Kigali: The new administration of US President Barak Obama is working on phasing out food aid to Rwanda, but will increase funding to agriculture aimed at “helping Rwandans grow their own food”, a senior diplomat has said.
Mr. Denis Weller, the USAID mission director said Rwanda has been getting between $10m and $15million in food aid every year over the past years, but that is going
to be ended. Instead, following up on President Obama’s address in Ghana in which he committed $3.5Billion support to agriculture on the continent, a new agriculture development programme for Rwanda is in the works which could increase to $20million annually.
“We are going to be phasing out our food aid program. We would like to see Rwandans growing their own food”, Mr. Weller told journalists on Tuesday at the Great Lakes Media Center. He said the food security initiative will go into availing new methods and technologies for farmers to increase production.
At last week’s G8 leaders’ summit in Italy, they pledged $20billion for agriculture in developing countries – largely targeting Africa. The UN welcomed the initiative saying it would supplement on the low level of food aid available with long-term food security. In Ghana, President Obama said the US would put more resources into this sector on the continent– which for example employs more than 70 percent of the population.
The USAID Envoy also revealed that the funding to USAID programmes in Rwanda will increase by about $10million for this year, up from about $140million last year. He however did not say how much in total the US government will be giving Rwanda. Last year Rwanda got $167million in total support for all the programmes.
USAID focuses up to 80% of its financing into the health sector – largely into Malaria, HIV and mortality redaction. The mission is also working with the coffee industry – which has helped expand the country’s exports from nothing a few years ago, according to Mr. Weller.
He said engagement in the health sector has moved malaria down from the biggest cause of death to “third” – and has instead been replaced by respiratory infections as number one killer and diarrhea coming in as second.
A new program has also been introduced supporting the largely ineffective political parties, and has been ongoing for the last six months. The US government is funding this program through the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, said Mr. Weller.
“We are going to be phasing out our food aid program. We would like to see Rwandans growing their own food”, Mr. Weller told journalists on Tuesday at the Great Lakes Media Center. He said the food security initiative will go into availing new methods and technologies for farmers to increase production.
At last week’s G8 leaders’ summit in Italy, they pledged $20billion for agriculture in developing countries – largely targeting Africa. The UN welcomed the initiative saying it would supplement on the low level of food aid available with long-term food security. In Ghana, President Obama said the US would put more resources into this sector on the continent– which for example employs more than 70 percent of the population.
The USAID Envoy also revealed that the funding to USAID programmes in Rwanda will increase by about $10million for this year, up from about $140million last year. He however did not say how much in total the US government will be giving Rwanda. Last year Rwanda got $167million in total support for all the programmes.
USAID focuses up to 80% of its financing into the health sector – largely into Malaria, HIV and mortality redaction. The mission is also working with the coffee industry – which has helped expand the country’s exports from nothing a few years ago, according to Mr. Weller.
He said engagement in the health sector has moved malaria down from the biggest cause of death to “third” – and has instead been replaced by respiratory infections as number one killer and diarrhea coming in as second.
A new program has also been introduced supporting the largely ineffective political parties, and has been ongoing for the last six months. The US government is funding this program through the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, said Mr. Weller.
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