Your Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda,
Honorable Minister of Finance Ambassador Claver Gatete
Honorable Minister of Infrastructure James Musoni
WASAC CEO James Sano
Culligan East Africa and Central Asia (EACA) CEO Beyhan Nakiboglu and Senior Vice President Laurence Bower
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, all Protocols Observed.
I am very honored to join you today to inaugurate Culligan’s Nzove II Water Treatment Plant.
I applaud the Government of Rwanda, and more specifically the Ministry of Infrastructure as well as the Water and Sanitation Corporation, for making water treatment a priority for the citizens of Rwanda. As a result of this project, the citizens of Kigali will have more access to drinking water. That will mean they have to spend less time in search of clean drinking water. Most importantly, access to clean water can save lives, so this project will have a lasting impact for generations of Rwandans.
Today we are also here to celebrate a great story of partnership between Rwanda and the United States. This project is truly a win-win for our two countries. In addition to providing the people of Kigali with nearly double the amount of clean water by the end of 2016, Culligan projects create new construction, engineering and maintenance jobs in Rwanda and, by including significant U.S. content, help sustain jobs in the United States.
Culligan International, based in Illinois, operates in over 90 countries around the world and we are proud that Rwanda is now one of those countries.
I congratulate Culligan for successfully exporting American water treatment solutions and technology to the heart of Africa. I had a chance to visit Culligan’s site six months after starting the project and I was impressed by the quality and rapid progress made by the company. Indeed, Culligan has a well-deserved reputation for delivering water projects with its advanced, state-of-the art technology, which you can all see here today.
Like so many American companies, Culligan International represents the “gold standard” around the world when it comes to the quality of products, reliability of service, deliver on-time and development of staff. You set the standard in labor practices and local training. And you bring innovative products and services to markets across the globe.
This high standard is what sets U.S. companies such as Culligan International apart from competitors in the region. I look forward to seeing more U.S. companies contributing to Rwanda’s economic success, to bring their products, offer training, and create jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
To conclude, I want to congratulate Culligan and the Government of Rwanda for undertaking this very important project that will have a significant impact for the people of Kigali. This is a great example of the growing economic ties between our two nations.
Murakoze cyane.
