EDITORIAL: There is no dignity in begging to secure your future

Weaning of aid dependency has been Rwanda’s main priorities for the last few years. The main reason behind the move was to avoid being held hostage by donors as has been the case in the past. Donors tend to use it as leverage and withhold it at a whim. So, Rwanda embarked on the dignity (Agaciro) trail and has not looked back since. So when about five years ago the main donors withheld their funds because they wanted to dictate terms, dignity received the shot in the arm it needed. It was decided to set up Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF), a sovereign fund, to fuel growth and development and offset the financial gap caused by not toeing the donors’ line. That is when the true Rwandan patriotic spirit came out. On its inception, AgDF raised over Rwf 17 billion from all walks of life. The money has since been invested and has since doubled, waiting to be put in use when need arises. But as administrators of the fund pointed out, the initial fervor towards the fund has faded considerably. So what needs to be done in order to keep the fire burning? For one; the fund needs to overhaul its communication strategies and keep the people abreast with what and how the fund is doing. For example, not everyone knows that part of the money is invested in government bonds, which in turn allows the government to raise the necessary means to fund development projects without resorting to outside help. That is exactly the true essence of Agaciro; our dignity should not be traded for aid that comes with strings attached.

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EDITORIAL: There is no dignity in begging to secure your future