By Denis Jjuuko

Rwanda is currently on everybody’s lips. They are showing to everybody how CAADP should be implemented. In every session so far at the ongoing 6th CAADP Platform Partnership meeting, Rwanda is cited as the model. Every delegate wants to know what is happening at the country famously known as the place of a thousand hills.

President Paul Kagame’s government has opened their doors allowing partners to know what they are doing. One delegate said that “they have the ingredients needed to succeed.” And that their experience should be shared by everybody.

Dr. Sam Kanyarukiga, the senior Agricultural Advisor and CAADP Coordinator at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and a Rwandan national says that the country is succeeding because they have among other things set up the Agricultural Working Group that meets monthly to review progress made and see how to continue moving forward. “The minister of agriculture coordinates this platform and the entire agriculture agenda is under CAADP,” he says.

Annually, Dr. Kanyarukiga says “the Joint Agriculture Review meets to forge a way forward.” This particular one is important because it involves the entire government with ministries such as Finance and Economic Planning involved making everybody especially at policy level aware of what is taking place in the sector. There are several other general meetings that take place to ensure that CAADP’s implementation process progresses.

With such commitment at the very senior level, no wonder Rwanda is keeping everybody here in Johannesburg talking and wanting to learn more about a revolution currently underway in Kigali.