2013 is behind us and there is no looking back apart from nostalgic reminisces, and, possibly, regret for not fulfilling some of our projections. As we focus on this New Year, our threshold should be a notch higher than the previous one now that we have seen that thinking outside the box and utilising our capacities to the full reaps dividends. That is what has made us one of the few countries that are on track to achieving the Millennium Development Goals; be it in child mortality rates or alleviating poverty. The main lesson we take into the year is that all our achievements were a result of concerted efforts, holding our leaders accountable and learning from our mistakes. So it goes without saying that continuity would be the logical way to go. 2014 comes with its own challenges and so are our renewed efforts to meet them. But that does not mean that our shortcomings should be swept under the carpet. Our service industry that has been under the surgeon’s knife for the last couple of years should this year be on its feet. Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) should crack the whip more often to bring service providers back in line. EWSA and mobile service providers should be its first target. The City of Kigali, in its resolutions this year, should finalise relocating those living in disaster prone areas and come up with a proper drainage system. And finally, the “Smart Kigali” operation that has seen the city dotted with free Wi-Fi connection hotspots should start migrating upcountry to have the country completely wired up and fired up.
