People should not hoard US dollars

Editor, RE: “There is no dollar scarcity, says BNR’s Rwangombwa” (The New Times, August 17).

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Editor,

RE: "There is no dollar scarcity, says BNR’s Rwangombwa” (The New Times, August 17).

It’s good that we have assurance from the governor of the central bank. However, in addition to a few remedies to the mentioned challenge, there are some other areas that are contributing to what is happening now (the dollar scarcity).

Why and how is it possible that I – as a Rwandan whose salary is in francs – need (is obliged) to rent a house in dollars? People are holding a lot of dollars in their local bank accounts and they are making it difficult for those who need the hard cash at the time of need.

Last but not least, when one comes into Rwanda – whether it’s a foreign tourist or even a Rwandan – and has a dollar account, they will withdraw cash in US dollars and later go and exchange it into Francs!

John