MAFAP Inception mission to Kigali, Rwanda

MAFAP is already present in three EAC member countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) and in the regional initiatives, of which Rwanda is a member, namely, the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKKS) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAAPD), whose activities are closely related to MAFAP work.

Several meetings were held with members of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), with FAO Representation (FAOR), and with the Delegation of the European Union in Rwanda.

Meetings with the FAOR revealed that MAFAP’s policy monitoring and analysis work is relevant and needed in Rwanda, thus, the analytical work and the facilitation of policy dialogue with the government and other stakeholders will be fully supported. Furthermore MAFAP also falls within the priority areas of the current FAO-Government collaboration (Country Programming Framework), and would provide significant evidence- based results to the Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2).

MAFAP’s programme objectives and modalities of implementation were also well received by the Delegation of the EU in Rwanda, which is currently leading the donor community in Kigali, and by MINAGRI’s Planning and Programme Coordination Unit. Staff members of the unit expressed interest in the technical work of MAFAP, and the desire to participate in its activities together with other institutions.