Rwanda Day 2013: Refugee affairs, Finance ministers engage Rwandans on BBC

The Minister of Finance, Amb. Claver Gatete, has shed more light on the ongoing Rwanda Day 2013 in London, saying that this is a time for showcasing the progress so far achieved and investment opportunities available in Rwanda.

Minister Gatete said that so far members of the Rwandan Diaspora have invested a lot of funds in the Rwandan economy, including personal investment in housing estates and private businesses.

He was appearing on a BBC flagship programme, Imvo n’Imvano, together with the Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Serafine Mukantabana. She also said that the event is about sharing experience and networking.

The talkshow mainly centred on the upcoming Cessation Clause on Rwandan refugees, where Minister Mukantabana took time to explain how Rwanda plans to assist refugees who intend to stay abroad after the clause comes into effect July this year.

“The Clause will benefit that person who has been a refugee, and the nation as a well,” she said, adding that so far 3.5 million Rwandans have already returned home. Only 100,000 Rwandans are believed to be refugees.

“Need be I’m ready to sacrifice my life for you,” Minister Mukantabana said in response to a caller’s reservation to return home.

On repossession of property, Mukantabana told a caller that it would  not be possible to renovate all property destroyed during the Genocide. However, she advised refugees to benefit from a government programme under her ministry to support impoverished returnees.

Other aspects discussed included the government’s support programme for returnees and their families, and the sensitisation plan to guide Rwandans both within and in the Diaspora on how to support returnees.