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©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen Prime Minister Bettel also took the opportunity of his stay in Kigali to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial – a place of remembrance established to commemorate the 1994 Rwandan Tutsi genocide – to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide. Together with experts from Lhoft and the Chamber of Commerce, a networking event was organised on 7 June to make new contacts. In concrete terms, the Lhoft network – in particular through the “Catapult Inclusion Africa” programme”, which is co-financed by the Luxembourg Cooperation – and the Chamber of Commerce in Rwanda were mobilised in order to invite interesting Rwandan and African start-ups, with the help of local incubators but also via direct contacts with promising companies. Press release by the Ministry of State / Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs In conclusion, the Prime Minister stated that “Luxembourg believes in the mission of the ITU. Luxembourg supports the political objective of Partner2Connect. We want to become the partner you need to build and enable meaningful connectivity. Here in Rwanda, with its ambitious digital goals, and around the world. We want to share the expertise we have developed in Luxembourg. We want to be a strong partner in your network.” Another major point on the agenda of this official visit was the participation of the Prime Minister and Minister Fayot in the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and taking place for the first time in Africa. ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen In addition to the political meetings of this mission, it is also important to develop relations between Luxembourg and local economic partners. This is especially true for Rwanda and its capital Kigali, which is on a development vector complementary to Luxembourg’s expertise – with priorities on ICT and innovative financial services. ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen He was first welcomed by Vincent Biruta, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to continue discussions on potential sectors of intervention in the context of a renewal of development cooperation between Luxembourg and Rwanda. In this respect, Minister Fayot underlined the importance that Luxembourg attaches to the protection of human rights, which are a transversal priority of Luxembourg’s cooperation strategy and which are promoted in the various interventions carried out in the context of the Grand Duchy’s development cooperation. In the context of the World Telecommunication Development Conference, Franz Fayot and his counterpart also discussed the topic of digitalisation and the opportunities it offers for development cooperation. Minister Fayot underlined the importance of digitalisation, particularly in improving access to basic social services for the disadvantaged populations. ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen ©SIP / Jean-Christophe Verhaegen “This may be the first time the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference has been held in Africa, but it should not be the last. The African continent has enormous potential to reap the benefits of digital innovation and to leapfrog into a world of digital opportunities,” noted the Prime Minister at the opening of his speech.
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