Documenting vital information on agriculture financing in Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda, 31 July, 2019. The Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Rwanda) in partnership with Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) have today launched the first edition of the Rwanda Agriculture Finance Year Book at ceremony held at Park Inn by Radisson Hotel in Kigali.

The Rwanda Agriculture Finance Year Book provides vital information on the agriculture financing ecosystem in Rwanda, profiles best practices and emerging innovations in agriculture financing and lays out challenges and lessons to continue improving agriculture financing in the country.

Emphasizing the importance of the book, the Executive Director of IPAR-Rwanda Ms. Eugenia Kayitesi said, “Agriculture is a major source of income for the majority of rural families but is also a key contributor to national growth which makes it extremely important. However, it faces many challenges and access to adequate and affordable financial services remains its biggest challenge. The Agriculture Finance Year Book therefore highlights challenges, initiatives, innovations and lessons that are vital for improving the agriculture financing ecosystem in Rwanda.”

The book is intended to increase knowledge and good practices implemented in Rwanda in the area of agriculture financing in Rwanda. It is expected to inform stakeholders in the agriculture sector including decision makers, farmers, investors, consumers and development partners about the available agriculture financing mechanisms, key actors, latest innovations that are aimed at improving agriculture financing and the credit needs of the farmers in the country.

“We believe this knowledge product will add enormous value to existing initiatives geared towards improving the agriculture finance sub sector as the information collected will be useful to multiple stakeholders supporting the agriculture sector. These include farmers themselves, financial service providers, policy makers, funders, investors, technology companies and others says Ms. Waringa Kibe, the Access to Finance Rwanda Country Director.

The first of its kind in Rwanda, the Agriculture Finance Year Book was compiled and written by IPAR-Rwanda with funding from Access to Finance (AFR). The book has been written in both Kinyarwanda and English and it will be distributed to the stakeholders in the agriculture sector. It will also be available on the websites of IPAR-Rwanda and AFR for downloading.

Notes to Editors :

 About IPAR-Rwanda

IPAR-Rwanda is an independent, not-for-profit research and policy analysis Think Tank based in Rwanda. It became fully functional in 2008 with the support of African Capacity Building Fund (ACBF) and Canada’s International Research Development Center(IDRC) with the initial start-up support from the Government of Rwanda.

Media contact Information :

Bosco H. KAGABA
PR and Communication Expert
Mobile : (+250) 788 581 321
Email : b.kagaba@ipar-rwanda.org
Web : www.ipar-rwanda.org

About Access to Finance Rwanda

AFR begun its operations in 2010 with the core objective of stimulating the development of the financial sector in Rwanda. AFR’s intention is to remove the systemic barriers that hinder access to financial services by putting the low income people particularly the rural poor and women at the centre of its interventions. AFR supports the development and provision of financial services including savings, credit, insurance, payments and remittances. AFR is funded by DFID, Sweden, USAID, and the MasterCard Foundation.

To ensure long-term sustainability and consistency of its achievements, AFR supports the Government of Rwanda’s development objectives and aligns all her interventions to the national policy frameworks such as the Financial Sector Development Programme (FSDP) II and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS).

Strategic goal

To contribute to a deeper and more inclusive financial sector that supports the livelihoods and well-being of low income people in Rwanda

Media contact information :

Emmanuel Nsekanabo
Communications and Market Development Manager
Mobile : + 250788388182
Email : nsekanabo@afr.rw
Website : www.afr.rw

Click below to download the press release.