It is everyone’s duty to own Rwanda’s development. Yesterday, the country’s senior leadership began its annual retreat in Gabiro, Eastern Province under the theme ‘Working together to deliver EDPRS 2’. The three-day retreat is discussing the targets for the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2). 

The Government has envisaged an average growth rate of 11.5% for the EDPRS 2 period, from an annual average growth rate of 8.2% for the last 10 years. Such a growth rate will increase GDP per capita from US 644 dollars to US 1240 dollars by the year 2020. That is more than a doubling of wealth in seven years. While some detractors will say that such growth rates are impossible, Rwandans have shown in the past that everything is within our hands if we work together.To achieve these targets we need to reduce trade deficits, improve foreign exchange earnings, enhance human resource capacities and develop infrastructure to support development. This will have to be a collaborative effort between the public and private sector.  No one sector can make such a huge leap forward. It will not be enough that there is a plan; the plan must be communicated to the entire populace and owned. Just like Vision 2020 has entered the Rwandan lexicon as the embodiment of our nation’s destiny, the message of 11.5 percent growth must also do so. We must know what we need to do to increase our output. To our leaders, sell us the dream, point the way forward and Rwandans will make the statistics a reality.