The French Republic wants to regain its place in Rwanda after the historic visit of President Emmanuel Macron. The new ambassador to Rwanda, Antoine Anfré, announced this on Tuesday 10 August before the Rwandan press in his residence in Kigali.
According to Ambassador Antoine Anfré, France wants to resume bilateral cooperation and promote investments in Rwanda. “My priorities are the implementation of the roadmap defined by the two presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Paul Kagame, and to be a facilitator,” he said.
“Alongside the United Kingdom, USAID, Germany and the French Development Agency (AFD), we are going to play in the big league again,” Antoine Anfré announced in a reassuring tone.
AFD will open an independent office in Kigali towards the end of the year, with a director, to deal with Rwanda. Its mission: to implement the projects included in the cooperation agreements signed during the visit of the French Head of State, Emmanuel Macron. The French Cultural Centre (CCF) will work in synergy with AFD. And the teaching of French at all levels is among the priorities.
However, Ambassador Anfré shows that AFD-funded projects cannot be implemented immediately. “AFD is a long-term cooperation. These are large projects of several hundred thousand euros, there are study phases, … The concrete implementation of projects will not be possible tomorrow, it’s true … The concretization will have to be done in the long term,” he explained.
French companies are interested in the showcase side…
The French private sector is not left out. It is interested in the showcase side of Rwanda. “Rwanda remains a relatively small market. It is not Nigeria, it is not Kenya either,” said Ambassador Antoine Anfré. “There is a dense population but in a small country. What should interest French companies here is also the showcase aspect of Rwanda. If we do something that works in Rwanda, it is a model that can inspire important countries in Africa, and even beyond,” he said.
Among the companies that are already looking to Rwanda are three involved in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). “We are working a lot with Digital Africa, an initiative that was launched with President Macron,” said Mr Quentin Dussart, in charge of communication and economy at the French embassy in Kigali.
Tactis is already present in Rwanda. It is working on a project to implement a network of sensors to monitor air quality. Digital Skills Foundation wants to teach digital platforms in schools and public institutions. There is also INNOV ATM, which is interested in drone traffic management. “All these companies have very strong financial and political support from France,” revealed Quentin Dussart.
Already next week, Ambassador Antoine Anfré is launching his visits to some start-ups in the field of agriculture technology, aviation, … According to him, the idea is to bring more and more French companies to launch their business in Rwanda or to support already existing start-ups.
Gérard Rugambwa
