By Robert Kayinamura, Counselor, Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda, The Hague.
Strong leadership and governance are required in order to set a clear vision for a shared direction by all actors in national building.
After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed over a million innocent lives in just 100 days, Rwanda was left a shell of a nation.Very few people expected the country to achieve more than high levels of sympathy. But under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda decided to start afresh; to begin a unique experiment in post-conflict nation building, which would steer it away from intractable cycles of a bad past and usher in impressive progress that was unthinkable.
President Kagame believed that by uniting Rwandans behind the common cause of progress, they could construct a new national identity, Nd’umunyarwanda: a Rwandan, rather than Hutu or Tutsi. Based on this foundation, Rwandans are increasingly united.
There is strong patriotism and belief in the government and trust in the leadership of their country. Rwandans can’t forget their tragic past but do not want to be defined by it. The older generation already knows all too well the cost of failure, but a majority of the population, born post-genocide, has inherited the possibility of a different future.
Rwandans have chosen a different path because they found within themselves the resilience and courage necessary to rebuild from the ashes and stand as a model for other nations seeking progress and reconciliation. The progress Rwanda has achieved since its genocide may be the most significant example of human development in modern history. Rwanda has made the most progress, which is all the more impressive given that its level of development fell during the Genocide of 1994.
We are talking of a country where life expectancy has more than doubled in 20 years, where a million people have been lifted out of poverty, where women are the majority of legislators, where 95 percent of the population has health insurance, and which is ranked as one of the safest places in the world to live in, according to the Gallup’s Global States of Mind poll.
Under Kagame, Rwandans have become agents of their own destiny, and their narrative is one of ascent.
Alongside visionary women and men, many of whom fought to stop the genocide, Kagame has led the country to the desired nation in Africa. Rwanda’s political leaders have been praised for their quality of technocratic governance and their proactive approach to creating an attractive business climate.
The country aspires to become a middle class economy, through its Vision 2020 programmed since its launch in 2000. the government’s Vision 2020 puts people at the centre of our development process to become a knowledge based economy and, hence, the focus of national investments in education, health and inclusive development, among others.
Per capita income has grown to USD 800 from USD 220 in 2000, which expected to push the poverty rate to less than 30% in 2020 from 60.4% in 2000, and an average life expectancy of 65 years from the 49 years in 2000.
As we speak, the overall picture is quite encouraging. Rwanda’s economy is thriving and reported growth figures have been impressive, at 8% over the past ten year, and exceeding most of the Millennium Development Goals.
September 2015 was the deadline for MDGs, after that, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took center stage for the next fifteen years until 2030.
This will too call for strong leadership and ownership of targets. Undoubtedly, Rwanda will not miss the goal.
A country that has gained a lot from MDGs, it’s vital that its sustains its achievements to avoid back slipping and sustainable development goals are seen as the best way to achieve that.
