Economy needs home grown solutions–minister

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, John Rwangombwa, Friday said that Rwanda should use home grown solutions for its economic growth. This was during the Christian Financial Forum (CFF) Thanksgiving Dinner that was held to thank God for the progress made in 2011. Rwangombwa noted that Rwanda’s economic growth is projected to hit 8.8 percent this year and called upon the citizens to maximize their efforts to develop the country. He pointed out that the creation of CFF was part of the solution the country needs, stressing that mixing money with God isn’t easy, adding that money without God only leads to destruction. “Rwanda should have God-fearing people in the financial sector who don’t defraud, cheat and are not corrupt. You should indeed be solutions and sources of change in the context of being a God-loving and fearing person,” the minister said. CFF Chairman, Daniel Mugisha Muhimuza, said there was quite a lot to thank God for, such as the fact that Rwanda’s currency was healthier last year compared to other countries, the rate of non-performing loans went down and there were less bank robbery cases. The Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, Claver Gatete, said if the financial sector combine skills with the power of God, then nothing will be impossible. He noted that Rwanda did extremely well financially last year despite the many challenges across the world, such as famine in the Horn of Africa, the Euro zone challenges and the US rating being downgraded. “We have a well-disciplined financial sector that has helped us grow Rwanda’s economy. We survived all this storm and we ought to thank God for having seen us through all this,” Gatete said. Maria.kaitesi@newtimes.co.rw