Nearly 2000 citizens of all walks of life are meeting at the Kigali Convention Centre, today and tomorrow, for the 14th edition of the National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) to assess Rwanda’s achievements registered in the last few years and plan for the future.

The National Dialogue has been organised under the theme, "Shaping Together the Rwanda We Want,” and will emphasise the collaboration between leaders and citizens as pillars to Rwanda’s continued development.

Umushyikirano is an annual event that gives all Rwandans, both in the country and abroad, the opportunity to ask their leaders questions directly and engage about the country’s challenges, opportunities and growth agenda.

The meeting is chaired by the President and attended by senior government officials, representatives of the Rwandan community abroad, private sector and civil society, local government, media and the diplomatic community among others.

The Minister in the Office of the President, Venantie Tugireyezu, told The New Times, yesterday, that the number of Umushyikirano participants has been growing each year.

"This year, we are expecting around 1,800 people at the convention centre and it is a big difference from the 800 to 1000 people that were being hosted in the Parliamentary Building or the 1,000 to 1,200 that were hosted at the Camp Kigali,” she said.

Tugireyezu said various mediums of communication have been devised to afford Rwandans who won’t be at the convention centre to participate and contribute to the dialogue.

"We have set up sites at Petit Stade in Kigali, Rwinkwavu in Eastern Province, Rusizi district in Western Province, Muhanga in Southern Province and Gicumbi in Northern Province where people can connect directly to the proceedings in Kigali,” the minister said.

"We have been receiving inputs in terms of questions and ideas from locals all the way to the cell level. Those who won’t make it to these sites and those in the Diaspora can participate using different platforms like short messaging service, calls, social media and YouTube and their ideas will be broadcast in real time on both radio and television,” she added.

On the opening day, participants will discuss the topic, "Rwanda’s Achievements: A Product of Unity and Unconventional Solutions,” looking at the implementation of social programmes and other government programmes, shared vision and collaboration between leadership and citizens.

They will also discuss the topic, "The Rwanda We Want,” where participants will be provided with a snapshot of the roadmap of Vision 2050 which is under preparation and share insights on the importance of Rwandan values.

The annual National Dialogue debates issues relating to the state of the nation and national unity before the resolutions are drawn and submitted to relevant institutions for action.

The two-day event will be opened and closed by President Kagame.

What they think Umushyikirano should address

Niko Rodney, business analyst.

‘I would concentrate more on agriculture and food security. Most of the production is still subsistence, and as the population grows we need to look for better techniques and methods of agriculture that will cater for the increasing population and climate change issues. If you look at the food processing it is almost nonexistent yet it could improve quality of produce. What is being done to encourage agricultural education and improvement?’

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Faith Tumuhairwe, procurement officer.

‘I would like taxes to come to the forefront of this year’s conversation. Importing anything to sell in Rwanda is a huge burden to any businessman and I can’t help but wonder what is being done to encourage people to invest in the country.’

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Belancile Nyiransaneza, basket weaver.

‘This year, I would want to tell the President that he needs to visit us and see how far we have come. He has elevated us women in Gasabo (in Gatsata), he needs to come and witness the fact that the work he has put in to help us develop ourselves has yielded some fruits. On the other hand, we also have problems. We feel that the people we send to him never deliver our message.’

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Esperance Mukabaranga, entrepreneur.

‘The issue of land is a serious one for most of us. Sometimes you own land and within the compound, there is a house. It is a burden when we are required to pay tax for the land yet, sometimes, we have not yielded anything from it or even the house. Land laws need to be discussed and fixed where need be, especially when it comes to the local person who mostly doesn’t have a consistent income.’

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Alex Gatari, businessman.

‘Land acquisition is a huge problem and it needs to be tackled at Mushyikirano this year. I think public institutions should work on how to make the process of acquiring land smoother. If you have no patience, you definitely cannot invest in anything related to land. Service delivery issues in Rwanda are reducing but it’s disturbing to find out that there is only one notary at the sector level and that he works once a week. How are documents supposed to be processed when the line of people waiting is very long? I hope that we get answers on this.’

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Dancilla Mukandanga, farmer.

‘I am interested in knowing more about plans for the education sector. What is the point of a child working hard and being admitted to a government school and they end up paying money that is almost equal to that of a private school student? Why can’t a child who has excelled at least pay half the amount and the government covers the rest? This is difficult because we thought that it would be easier in technical and vocational schools but the fees are still prohibitive for most parents. What is being done to make sure that children from poor families get a chance at a good education?’

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Saudah Muganga, graduate student.

‘The biggest businesses in Istanbul, Turkey, all start as family businesses. They are the tailors, cooks, merchants; interior designers, domestic manufacturers, carpenters etc and they usually start really small and grow with more time invested in them. This is 2016. Most of these businesses require technology and financial boosting to push forward. I would like to see the participants at this year’s National Dialogue discuss how such small businesses can be elevated so that they can develop into bigger and strong companies.’   

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