Information
- Country
- Rwanda
- Sector
- Agriculture, forestry and fishery
- Partner execution agency
- Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI)
- Implementation period
- 20 December 2022 - 30 November 2026
- Total duration
- 47 months
- Total budget
- 17,500,000 EUR
- Contribution breakdown
-
- Luxembourg Government
7,500,000 EUR - Union européenne
10,000,000 EUR
Leaflets
Project sheets
The project "Transformation towards sustainable food systems - Kwihaza" is an integral part of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) "Feeding the Cities" within the framework of the annual action plan of the European Union Delegation (EUD) in Rwanda.
The overall objective is to contribute to the transition towards social and environmental food systems and the development of value chains in the fields of aquaculture, fisheries and horticulture.
Its specific objective is to sustainably increase production, per capita consumption and income from quality fisheries, aquaculture and horticulture products, with particular attention to women and youth. In order to achieve this specific objective, the expected results are:
- strengthening the capacities of smallholders active in these value chains to effectively improve product quality and quantity, reduce post-harvest losses and increase their access to local and regional markets;
- strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises and youth entrepreneurs active at different levels of the targeted value chains to work in an inclusive and sustainable manner, create decent jobs and contribute to better food systems; and
- strengthening an enabling environment for the development of inclusive value chains and sustainable food systems.
The project will be implemented in ten districts in Rwanda and will serve small producers, small and medium enterprises and consumers.
The project developed and implemented by Enabel over four years for a total budget of EUR 15.5 millions is financed by the EUD for EUR 10 millions and by Luxembourg for EUR 5.5 millions. The contribution of the Luxembourg Cooperation is made available to Enabel through LuxDev, which is part of the monitoring committee and the steering committee.
Latest news
RWANDA - Mission of the Director GeneralA glimpse into new projects and partnerships
From 27 to 30 November 2023, the Director General of LuxDev, Mr. Manuel TONNAR, together with the Director of Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs' Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Christophe SCHILTZ, embarked on a mission to Rwanda to obtain a thorough overview of the Luxembourg Cooperation's programme portfolio in Rwanda.
The programmes (co)financed by Luxembourg Cooperation in Rwanda focus on three main priority areas:
- inclusive and innovative finance;
- TVET and youth employment; and
- sustainable development and environment.
Meeting with key partners
During their mission, the directors had the opportunity to meet a number of key partners in Luxembourg Coperation programmes in Rwanda:
- Ministry of Environment, who is part of our the project EPAFLEC (Engage private sector in climate change adaptation through improved forest management for feeding efficient low emission cooking solutions into urban households - RWA/028) currently under formulation;
- Rwanda Green Fund, which is mobilising and coordinating finance to support the delivery of a green economy. LuxDev will soon start an institutional assessment before confirming a contribution to INTEGO, a facility to support the public sector in implementing Rwanda's climate action plan;
- Rwanda Finance Limited with which the Luxembourg Cooperation will launch a new project to support the development of the Kigali International Finance Centre (RWA/024) to increase foreign and domestic investments contributing to sustainable development;
- Ministry of Local Government and its key agency, Local Administrative Entities Development Agency, who is implementing the Pro-Poor Development Basket Fund, to which the Luxembourg Cooperation will contribute through the project Basket Funding for Pro-Poor Development (RWA/029).
Meeting with Rwanda Finance Limited
Meeting with Local Administrative Entities Development Agency
Field visits
The delegation also had the opportunity to visit projects in the field.
As part of the Enhancing digital skills for quality VET project (RWA/027), the delegation took part in the official ceremony co-organised with the Rwanda TVET board to hand over laptops to TVET teachers. This equipment will allow teachers to remotely participate in trainings to gain basic digital literacy and digital pedagogy skills.
Laptop handover ceremony
As part of the Transformation towards sustainable food systems - Kwihaza project (RWA/025), the visit targeted actors in the fishery and horticulture sectors. Discussions are still underway on how Kwihaza project will be supporting these sector players, in addition to technical capacity and support to creation of an enabling environment.
Visit of a company hatchery for fish seed production
RWANDA - Launching ceremony of the RWA/025 - KWIHAZA - Transformation towards sustainable food systems project
The launching ceremony of the RWA/025 - KWIHAZA - Transformation towards sustainable food systems project was held in Kigali on Wednesday 22 March 2023, in the presence of Dr MUSAFIRI, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda, Mrs CALVO UVARRA, Ambassador of the European Union to Rwanda, Mr VERSMESSEN, Ambassador of Belgium to Rwanda, representatives of the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources and other governmental institutions partners in this project, as well as LuxDev, Enabel and the Delegation of the European Commission to Rwanda.
During his speech, Mr BOURDEAUX, LuxDev's resident representative in Rwanda, recalled that the African continent was hit hard by the food crisis in 2022, testifying to the efforts to be continued to fight malnutrition and hunger worldwide. Although the 2022 census showed that about 80% of Rwandan households are today considered food secure (they have access to at least two meals a day), 20% of households are still not. In addition, the country is dependent on many food imports, and Rwanda's trade balance is deteriorating. To remedy this situation, the country should move from traditional and subsistence farming to to a full-fledged agro-industry capable of feeding the entire country, through the strengthening of agricultural value chains.
In this context, the KWIHAZA project aims to contribute to the transition towards social and environmental food systems and to the development of value chains in the fields of aquaculture, fisheries and horticulture.
As part of the Team Europe initiative "Feeding the Cities", carried out within the framework of the annual action plan of the European Union Delegation to Rwanda, the project aims to sustainably increase production, per capita consumption and income from quality fisheries, aquaculture and horticulture products, with a particular focus on women and youth.
As access to finance is particularly sensitive in rural areas, which are poorly served by commercial banks and insurance companies, Luxembourg Cooperation will contribute to addressing this issue through various interventions.
"We are particularly pleased that Luxembourg is not only co-financing the project, but also that our partner, the NGO ADA - Appui au développement autonome, is contributing to its implementation through its expertise in access to finance in rural areas, particularly for actors in the value chains," said Mr BOURDEAUX.
Implemented in ten districts in Rwanda, the KWIHAZA project is financed by the European Union and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and implemented by Enabel. The contribution of the Luxembourg Cooperation is made available to Enabel through LuxDev, which is part of the monitoring and steering committee of the project. "This project is a demonstration of the strength of the European Union and its Member States, and of the impact we can have when we work together in a coordinated way", concluded the resident representative.