Uprooting the FDLR and other collective resolutions for 2015

In as far as resolutions go, one can think of two kinds: singular and collective. We are used to the singular resolutions whose outcomes are intended to improve the personal welfare of the bearer. Then there are those about the collective self, whose outcomes help to improve the general welfare. For one set, the individual is answerable to himself; for another, the state is answerable to the collective. Without further ado, let’s consider some of what we could consider as collective resolutions by following the key sectors outlined in the national development plans. Agriculture is always a good place to begin given its importance in the lives of the vast majority of the citizens. To improve the general welfare, some things in this sector must appear on our wish list. One wish is to make irrigation a priority because of the difficulties in controlling weather conditions. Another wish is to make agriculture attractive to private investors. For this to happen, investors will need incentives. As of today, banks are afraid to provide capital to investors in the agricultural sector because of associated risks. Something similar to what has been done over the years to encourage entrepreneurship in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will also need to be done for agriculture. The Business Development Fund (BDF) facility has been important for SMEs in as far as it facilitates the sharing of risk between entrepreneurs and the government. Here’s wishing for enhanced linkages between farmers and the market through expanding infrastructure facilities, post harvest handling and storage, and facilities for transforming agricultural production into finished products. Wish number two is in the area of education. Rapid developments have been observed through increased access in primary and secondary education through 9 Year Basic Education (9YBE) and 12 Year Basic Education (12YBE). With access, authorities are setting strategies for tackling issues related to quality, mostly by devising a new curriculum. Despite positive developments, the issue of teenage pregnancies has rained on this parade. Stemming this vice would, therefore, warrant a resolution wish for 2015. In higher education, the introduction of one university was intended to check mismanagement that included duplication of duties. As of now, the University of Rwanda (UR) continues to ride on the benefit of doubt that it is still in transition. However, it cannot be in a permanent transition. As such, it will be expected to show some basic qualitative improvements in 2015. Resolutions in the Health Sector are few. That is because it has been a star performer over the past number of years, particularly in terms of expanding access. The few resolutions in this sector involve motivating and retention in order to improve health service delivery, especially in the rural areas. Apparently few doctors would choose to work in remote areas of the country. One is likely to accept deployment in the rural areas in order to gain experience, only to turn to private practice in Kigali a few years later. A wish for 2015 would be for the provision of incentives to nip the practice in the bud. The heath sector, however, has some challenges that are external in nature and therefore outside its control. A couple of examples will suffice. A health center with an ambulance requires roads in order to serve emergencies in remote areas. Similarly, a community health worker who has been provided with a telephone for communicating with practitioners at the health center needs electricity to be able to charge the phone. Having to walk a long distance to find a sector office to charge the phone is tiring and likely to lead him or her to give up on the phone altogether. Which leads us to the forth wish in the area of infrastructure. More feeder roads in 2015 will mean that more farmers will take their products to markets. This will encourage them to increase production. As for electricity, around 19 percent of households have access, according to the recent census data. The national target is 70 percent by 2017. If we are to get to that target, a large gap will need to be covered in 2015. That means that the power plants that we have been hearing over the years need to actually start providing electricity: Kirehe and Nyabarongo dams. Ditto the methane gas project. An important wish for 2015 is on increasing access to clean water. This is important because it is possible that most of the health issues in this country stem from water related diseases. The fifth wish is in the area of trade. With the country doing very well in Doing Business rankings, there is a need for such improvements to be felt on the ground. The wish is for the concerned officials to make employment creation a key component for incentives give to investors. Finally, employment creation schemes must create employment. They can’t continue to exist as an end in, and of, themselves. Security is sixth, but not last, on the wish list. The wish is for the menace of the FDLR to be dealt with once and for all in 2015. This wish is not for Rwandans alone, but also for the Congolese people. The FDLR has done enough damage to both.

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Uprooting the FDLR and other collective resolutions for 2015