During his visit on Friday 6th August 2021, Touadéra was accompanied by government officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta and Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi.

Touadéra toured different parts of the model village including a health center, accommodations, Early Childhood Development Center (ECD), primary and secondary school.

He was taken through the background of the model village inaugurated on 4th July 2021 as Rwanda marked the 27th Liberation Day which is home to residents from informal settlements.

Located in 12 kilometers away from Musanze town, Kinigi Model Village was constructed by Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

It is made of six three-storey blocks with 24 homes each. A home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room, with ready furniture, beds, mattresses and a television set.

The model village also has poultry houses for 8000 chickens and sheds for other livestock, nursery school, health post, business center workshop, playgrounds and kitchen gardens among others.

Construction activities were completed at a cost of Rwf 26, 611, 466, 699 of which Rwf8, 047,653,297 was allocated for construction of homes, Rwf1, 589, 619, 026 for health center while Rwf3,350, 166, 058 was utilized to build a school and Early Childhood Development Center at the village.

Among others; Rwf1, 874, 637, 199 was utilized to buy 102 cows and 8000 chickens for resettled residents; business center workshop, garden preparation and planting fruit trees cost Rwf1, 874, 637, 199 while the remaining activities including tarmac road, electricity installation and expropriation took Rwf11 billion.

Minister Gatabazi explained that construction of model villages began as Rwanda’s home grown solution initiated by President Paul Kagame.

“As he toured different sections of the model village, President Touadéra wanted to know how such villages come into existence. He was specifically keen on witnessing livelihoods of resettled residents and how beneficiaries are selected. We told him that Kinigi is a major hotspot for tourism activities where tourists visiting Virunga National Park are also curious to interact with residents. We also explained how residents in the surroundings of this park benefit from tourism revenues to improve livelihoods,” he said.

Gatabazi revealed Rwanda’s model can be emulated in CAR as a country mired by conflicts to resettle citizens.

“CAR is a country that has dreadful experiences with wars that have not yet ended. Citizens have been faced with insecurity but need decent settlement in model villages after overcoming these problems through elections,” he said.

Touadéra was elected CAR President for the second term during elections held in December 2020. At the time, Rwanda sent special forces to secure selections.

On the first day of his visit to Rwanda, both countries signed four bilateral agreements in the areas of defence cooperation, mining, transport and economic development.

So far, he has visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum located at the Parliament Building in Kimihurura and headquarters of Rwanda Defence Force.

Touadéra will also tour several conservation and eco-tourism destinations before his departure on 8th August.

Touadéra visiting one of classrooms at Kinigi IDP model village.