On September 23, Ambassador GAO Wenqi attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Giseke Agricultural Irrigation Project and delivered remarks. The ceremony was also attended by Hon. Dr. Télésphore Ndayambaje, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda; Hon. Alice Kayitesi, Governor of Southern Province; Mr. Jérôme Rutaburingoga, Mayor of Gisagara District; and about 100 representatives from the Chinese and Rwandan project implementation parties and the local community. Embassy Counselor GAO Zhiqiang was present.

Ambassador GAO noted that China actively advances the Global Development Initiative and attaches great importance to enhancing agricultural resilience and improving people’s well-being of developing countries. The Giseke Agricultural Irrigation Project stands as a fruitful outcome of China-Rwanda practical cooperation under the Global Development Initiative framework, as well as a tangible practice to deliver the poverty reduction and agricultural development outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to local communities. The project is aligned with Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) and priorities for agricultural modernization. China stands ready to deepen all-round practical cooperation with Rwanda in food security, poverty reduction and infrastructure development, and advance the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.

Hon. Minister Dr. Ndayambaje thanked China for its strong support for Rwanda's agricultural development, saying that the project will enhance Rwanda's agricultural capacity to respond to climate change, ensure food security, help implement the NST2, and benefit a large number of farming households.

Hon. Governor Kayitesi welcomed the project's implementation in the province and expressed the hope that it will be completed as soon as possible to effectively improve agricultural production conditions, help farmers increase production and income, and drive local rural development.

At the ceremony, representatives of both sides jointly laid the foundation stone for the Giseke Agricultural Irrigation Project.

The Giseke Agricultural Irrigation Project is financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and constructed by China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC). It is a comprehensive agricultural irrigation complex integrating water storage, water conveyance, on-farm irrigation and supporting roads. The reservoir has a total storage capacity of 6.55 million cubic meres and will irrigate 2,640 hectares of farmland upon completion. The project will also upgrade supporting rural roads, conduct technical training, and share China's experience in agricultural development.