President Paul Kagame says he has been traveling more frequently recently to create partnerships that bring solutions to Rwandas development challenges.
Kagame was on Tuesday (November 11) addressing locals of Jabana sector in Gasabo District of Rwandas capital Kigali. The visit is part of his regular community outreach programme.
When you see me travelling, it is not for leisure, Kagame said amid loud applause, in apparent response to recent concerns that he has been travelling a lot more than before. It is to build partnerships that will allow us to solve our challenges.
President Kagame has been travelling overseas for about 60 days searching for investors. His latest business trips took him to the UK, Dubai, South Korea, Indonesia and India.
While at the Global-Africa Investment Summit London, he presented 15 projects that require about $23billion to accelerate the countrys development agenda.
Kagame was seeking for $930.4million to fund road-construction. A new $700minternational-airport in Rwanda is in the works, as well as energy projects worth$2.7billion, and agribusiness. In India for example, Kagame promised investors a red-carpet reception and unlimited opportunities once they turned their investment focus towards Rwanda.
While in the United States in September, President Kagame secured Rwandaspresence on list of only five African countries that will benefit from a €2billion fund for clean energy. Kigali hopes to finance solar-projects and hydro-plants. Already, a multi-million-dollar green energy fund has been set up in the country.
In the United States still, the President also put pen to paper with U.S. firm Symbion Power for a 50MW Independent Power Production (IPP) project using methane gas from Lake Kivu.
Kagame said in his speech that the first railway-system was coming to Rwanda. Studies on the $1.2billion Uganda–Rwanda standard gauge railway started in July to be completed by July 2015.
The President said there should never be complacence about the prevailing stability and security in the country. In other places, bombs are exploding every day–in markets, reason why we should be proud to be Rwandans, said Kagame.
Meanwhile, at the same event as has become the routine with Presidential upcountry trips, the speech was followed by an interactive session during which ordinary people complained about actions of local leaders.
