Rwanda has a lot to celebrate 20 years after liberation

Rwanda achieved independence from Belgium on July 1, 1962. While Independence asserted Rwanda as a sovereign state, it didn’t usher in the political, economic and social liberties that Rwandans deserved. The period proceeding independence was marked by political upheaval, discrimination and suffocation of political, economic and social liberties. This culminated into the brutal and devastating genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. Meaningful liberation and rebirth of Rwanda came on July 4, 1994 when the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) under the leadership of now President Paul Kagame, captured Kigali, stopped the genocide and set the country on a long path to rebirth and recovery. The genocide had claimed over one million innocent lives in just 100 days. The infrastructure had been ravaged, the social fabric of Rwandan society destroyed and the nation reduced to a failed state. At this auspicious celebration of 20 years of Rwanda’s liberation and renaissance, we salute the gallant Rwandan men and women of the RPA, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to save Rwanda and the Rwandan people. Twenty years after liberation, Rwanda has a lot to celebrate. Like the proverbial phoenix, Rwanda has risen from its ashes. What was a failed state two decades ago has become a model for successful post-conflict reconstruction. The economy which had ground to a halt has rebounded strongly. Rwanda’s economy has grown at an average annual GDP of 8 percent over the last decade. The country enjoys stable macro-economic environment with inflation maintained in single digits for the last 10 years. Per capita income has tripled from US$220 in 2000 to US$640 in 2012. Rwanda aspires to be a middle income country with per capita income of US$1200 by 2020. Rwanda has invested heavily in its population to improve its health, skills, wealth and productivity. Access to education has been rolled out. Primary school net enrollment has expanded to cover 96 percent of children of school going age, with equal access for girls and boys. Fee-free education was introduced and covers the cycle of education from primary to 9 years of basic education. Literacy rates have subsequently grown to over 70 percent of the population. About 95 percent of the Rwandan people are covered by the country’s community health insurance scheme, guaranteeing access to healthcare services by the majority of population. This has led to drastic decline in infant, child and maternal mortality, with a significant rise in life expectancy for the general population. Rwanda has undertaken massive reforms to build a vibrant and competitive market economy, with a condussive environment for private sector growth. The country has zero tolerance to corruption and has received good ranking on the transparency international annual corruption perception index. Rwanda has also been consistently ranked one of most reformed countries with exceptional performance on the annual World Bank doing business rankings. Institutions of governance have also been built and have enhanced accountability, transparency, citizen engagement and access to basic administrative and social services. Rwanda has been quite innovative in devising local solutions to local development and governance challenges. Home grown solutions like one cow per poor house hold, ubudehe local development initiative and umuganda local community works have helped build basic infrastructure and deliver social protection and poverty reduction programs. Massive investment in growth enhancing infrastructure like roads, access to clean water, rural electrification, agriculture, housing and information and communication technology has helped transform the country into a modern, prospering and vibrant nation. Rwanda therefore has reason to celebrate, despite starting from a very low base and more needs to be done. The theme for the 20th Anniversary of liberation is “Together We Prosper”. This eloquently captures the spirit of the new Rwanda. A nation on the move, but one that is also determined to carry all its citizens along by ensuring equal opportunity, a meritocratic society and a stable and peaceful future for all. Visionary leadership has been critical in steering Rwanda from a tragic past to a stable, peaceful and prospering county. President Paul Kagame has provided the inspiration, leadership and vision that have drastically transformed the country. The Vision 2020 as the President’s blue print for Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation has been rigorously pursued and is on track to be realized. The factor of leadership is one not to be under estimated in the process of Rwanda’s rebirth and recovery. Rwanda still has a long way to go to achieve the Vision 2020, become a middle income country and grow into a developed modern nation; however, the foundation and pillars for this transformation have been firmly laid. The complete liberation of Rwanda therefore remains a work in progress, but one that is moving in the right direction with full speed and commitment.