Rwanda can do better without aid

Dear Editor, Allow me to reflect on the events reported earlier this week of the Dutch scrapping aid to Rwanda. For a moment, I thought the Dutch act was a blow to Rwanda’s budget plans and that there was going to be a crisis. It’s very true that the shocks and shortages can be felt but then, drawing from what the President said on Television yesterday, scrapping the aid is more of a good riddance because Rwanda can easily find ways to move on without the Dutch aid and only us Rwandans can do that. I believe aid is more of a burden and that’s why they keep referring to some countries as ‘debt ridden’. This is an image we can do away with if we desist from taking big sums of money in form of aid which then become a burden. Let’s sacrifice for our country and actually contribute directly to nation building. That’s why we should not panic and run to the President asking him the Plan B we have—that the Dutch have cut aid. Like the President says, Plan B is us and just like one of the Great Presidents of the United States, John F Kennedy said ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. We can probably follow the example of the Chinese who have developed thousands of miles of A-class tarmac roads using funds raised domestically from citizens and now China has one of the leading road networks, not financed by World Bank but from a pool of funds created with each nation loving individual contributing a few cents to the project. Let’s all rise to the call and support our nation, Long Live Rwanda. Kimihurura

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Rwanda can do better without aid