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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.
