The Agreement, titled 'HANGARIBIHE: Transformational Climate-Smart and Inclusive Agriculture in Rwanda,' is a five-year programme that will provide EUR 36 million in budget support to strengthen national agriculture and environment sector priorities, alongside EUR 4 million in complementary support for technical assistance, capacity building, and studies.
The programme is part of the Team Europe Initiative on 'Investing in Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Transformation,' bringing together the European Union and partners.
The support will contribute to the implementation of Rwanda's National Strategy for Transformation (NST-2), the Fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation (PSTA-5), and environment sector priorities.
It will focus on increasing investment in agriculture, expanding irrigation and sustainable land management practices, strengthening climate resilience, restoring degraded ecosystems, and improving climate information systems to support evidence-based decision-making.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Yusuf Murangwa, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, welcomed the financing agreement as a strategic partnership for Rwanda's agricultural transformation.
'It will build a modern, productive, and climate-resilient sector by driving inclusive productivity gains for smallholders, cooperatives, women, youth, and SMEs, while mandating climate-smart and sustainable production practices,' he noted.
Belén Calvo Uyarra, the EU Ambassador to Rwanda highlighted that the programme marks another important milestone in the long-standing partnership between the European Union and Rwanda.
'By building on our previous cooperation, it will help turn Rwanda's climate-smart agriculture ambitions into tangible results for farmers, rural communities and future generations,' she stated.
Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Telesphore Ndabamenye, said the funding will complement the country's existing programmes, including irrigation, increasing production in food basket sites, and soil conservation agrculture.
