Doing business responsibly key to sustainable growth

Twenty years ago marked the rebirth of Rwanda. It was a new dawn, a new beginning for the Rwandan people, especially those who had suffered great injustices for decades. Rwanda lit a candle of hope and citizens began to reconcile and rebuild their mother country, thanks to the brave men and women who rid the country the old order, where some Rwandans had no rights to education, business, political freedom, as well as freedom of speech and association and the country so impoverished. As we embark on the next 20 years of liberation, I wish to ponder on the great work done by the government to build unity, promote human rights and open doors and opportunities for all Rwandans to access quality education, good infrastructure, engage in business and ensure every citizen is equal before the law. The government has always encouraged the masses to carry-out activities that can help improve the standards of living, and promotes equitable development the reason why it introduced the one cow per family, one laptop per child and promotes financial inclusion, among others. Accelerating the pace of change towards inclusive and sustainable growth in a developing country like Rwanda requires billions of dollars and resources. This is why the government has invested heavily in a number of programmes that promoting business growth, attract investors and reduce the cost of doing business, thus making the country more competitive and a better place to do business. With these opportunities, the business community has played a vital role in promoting the country’s development as they cannot be overlooked. This is evidenced in the creation of more jobs, diligently paying taxes to ensure national programmes are implemented, and through various platforms partner with the government to develop the country. Given the scale of the role played, there is a need to take advantage of all the available resources; domestic, foreign, public and private. Equally, we need to think about how to make business more efficient and effective, investing in innovative mechanisms, so as to achieve business viability with more competitive advantage in the region. Through creation of more businesses, entrepreneurship and other innovations families have been able to access essential needs and save for the future in the quest for self-reliance and liberate themselves from poverty. As we celebrate 20 years of liberation, let’s jointly work together as Rwandans to conduct businesses responsibly and professionally to liberate our country economically. The writer is the head of media and customer relations at the Rwanda Revenue Authority