Rwanda - Rising from the ashes

Since my return from Kigali last weekend where I went to observe the acquisition of 35 percent stake in SONARWA, Rwanda’s leading insurance firm, by IGI Nigeria Limited, many colleagues and associates have been asking what my experience was. Most of those asking the question usually posed it in a manner that seemed to suggest they already had a preconceived answer they are expecting from me. I had a feeling those in this category expected that I would give gory tales of how I saw a nation in ruins. I do not blame these friends who expected the worst tales from Rwanda. The Central African nation came to world consciousness in 1994 when foreign media showed footages of merciless internecine killings between the Hutus and Tutsis in the country. Then TIME Magazine reported that the devils in hell have not only relocated to Rwanda, they have also taken the hell along with them to that country. But that was 14 years ago. Today the Rwandans under a new leadership have decided to rebuild their country and make it the economic hub of Central African region. As one of the publications of the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA) stated, Tragedy has surrendered to optimism and a firm determination to succeed. Strong political leadership driving a vision of a better future has firmly liberated the country from the shackles of the 1994 nightmare and crafted a roadmap for the reconstruction of the country’s social, economic and political fabric. From the airport, my anxiety about what to meet in Kigali was very high. The airport was a modest one. It evoked memories of the Enugu airport in Nigeria. Not busy by international standards. The immigration officials were the first Rwandans myself and the three others in my party met. In their not too fluent English, they made it known that we needed to pay 60 US dollars to obtain entry visa since we did not get one before leaving Lagos. It was the first indication of the visitor-friendly regime that the Rwandans are putting in place to make it easy for investors to visit their country without any hassles. A visitor only needs to fill the visa form on-line and send it. He can then print out the filled form and the acknowledgement letter which would be send on line a few hours after the form is received by the immigration department. With the two papers, he can proceed to Kigali and pay at the entry point. After airport formalities which in any case were very brief, one was in a hurry to see what Kigali look like after the horrendous event of 1994 in which one million citizens were cruelly slaughtered by their fellow citizens for ethno-economic reasons. But Kigali is today a disappointment for those who define Rwanda with that past event. A hilly city whose topography reminded me of my Abeokuta homestead, it is also landlocked and therefore posed some unique challenges in terms of beautification and development. First, the rocky nature of the terrain has been used as a natural incentive to build smooth and well-tarred roads which traverse the city and enhance its total beauty. The medians and sidewalks are decorated with flowers which are defying the harsh nature of the ground and blossoming. The streets are very neat. The flowers are well tended while there are workers engaged to sweep the streets twice a day. Hardly can one see a road which is not well tarred and maintained. In terms of road network in Kigali, the Rwandans have done so well for themselves. Yet, they are seriously battling with erosion which is threatening the roads. But their response is to build solid drainage system paved with stones. There also appears a deliberate attempt to display the cohabitation of modern and ancient civilisation. In many areas of the state capital, modern buildings co-exist with ancient but good looking ones. Also, many beautiful buildings around town were built with burnt or mud bricks. The city is dotted with many skyscrapers, all of which are owned by multi national businesses. It equally has top class hotels like the Kigali Serena Hotel which can conveniently compete with our own Lagos Sheraton Hotel and Transcorp-Hilton Hotel. The Serena Hotel provides wireless internet connectivity right from its reception. Other leading hotels in Kigali are Novotel Kigali Umubano which is close to the Source du Nil Golf Club and Mille Collines Hotel located in-between the city centre and the airport. During my four-day stay in Kigali, it was very difficult securing rooms in most of these hotels due to influx of tourists and investors.Kigali also has avant garde restaurant like Kigali Serena’s Diplomat Restaurant with most of the interior given a natural African setting. It is usually patronised by high class visitors and locales. Bourbon Café, Chez Robert, Indian Khazana, La Republica and Shanghai are equally good restaurants, brimming with people every night. One way the Rwandans have sought to reassure themselves that never again would they allow insecurity to further drag them down is by ensuring that the streets of Kigali are safe for all to move about round the clock. The clubs in hotels and other relaxation spots are filled with people till very early in the morning everyday. Even, the RIEPA boasts that the government and the people, having realised that to attract investments from home and abroad, personal security must be ensured. The government has ensured that Kigali, the capital, is one of the safest and secure cities in Africa. RIEPA continues that Across the whole country, the current crime rates are negligible, corruption is literally non-existent, internal peace and stability are real. In Kigali, the government has also invested in infrastructure to enhance standard of living of the individuals and to make the environment more attractive to investors. In the four days I stayed in the capital city, only once was there power outage. And it lasted only one minute. It was just like mistakenly pressing a switch to put the light off and the hotel quickly switching on the power generating set, only for it to switch back to the main source. Meanwhile, about the same time, my neighbourhood in Lagos did not have electricity for a whole of three days. The Rwandan government said the country’s present energy needs suffers a deficit of only 65 mega watts which government supplements through imports from neighbouring countries. The government is therefore seeking investments in power generation through its numerous sources of energy like methane gas in Lake Kivu, hydro-power potential in rivers Nyabarongo, Rusumo and Rusizi. They are also exploring the possibility of using alternative energy sources like solar, bio-mas, biogas or geothermal. The Rwandan government is aggressively pursuing foreign investors and therefore has liberalised the whole system of incorporation of business and operations of industry. First, every top government official, right from President Paul Kagame is a salesman for attracting investment into the country. The Executive Vice Chairman of IGI Nigeria, Chief Remi Olowude, whose company not only owns 35 percent of the largest insurance company in Rwanda, SONARWA, but now has a hotel under construction and is processing a bank license in the same country told us of his experience. Olowude sought an appointment to see Kagame as part of efforts to solidify his deal with SONARWA. But the Rwandan president offered to come and see the IGI boss in his hotel room. It was one experience which humbled the Nigerian investor. At the formal ceremony marking the signing of the IGI-SONARWA deal, ministers and deputy governor of the nation’s Central Bank were all in attendance. The Rwandan investment promotion agency, RIEPA, said it will help to prepare and confirm itinerary for a visiting investor if given only a 24-hour notice. They will help to book hotel, arrange for transportation from airport and ground transportation around the country at no cost to the visitor. Within two days, it said it can help to process investment certificates and help to secure access to land from government upon request as well as provide immediate link to the agency in charge of environmental assessment. Company registration will be done within three days while immigration, taxation and investment facilitation services will be handled within hours by the agency without any cost to the investor who is only required to pay the statutory fees for the services he is seeking. All these measures are aimed at attracting investment and creating jobs for the people. And these efforts are paying off. President George Bush last February gave what appeared to be a fantastic testimonial on the reconstruction efforts going on in Rwanda. While signing a bilateral investment treaty between the US and Rwanda, Bush said: this treaty is a good way of saying not only is this a good place to look, but when you invest, there will be certain guarantees- not a guarantee of return on investment, but a guarantee you’ll be treated fairly. He continued: And secondly, I’m frankly not interested in, you know, spending tax payers’ money on governments that end up pocketing the money and not helping citizens live. It’s one of the reasons I’ve come to Rwanda; the record here is quite extraordinary when it comes to saving lives. Also, a recent World Bank Doing Business survey ranked Rwanda as the best country in Africa in terms of economic reforms and the 11th in the whole world. Another study by the same World Bank estimates that it takes only 21 days to open a business in Rwanda whereas it takes 32 days to do the same thing in Japan. That probably is the reason the 2004 IMF business survey ranked Rwanda as one of the top three lion cubs in Africa because of its rapid economic growth rate. Also, the September 2005 edition of the IMF World Economic Outlook Data Base stated that in the last five years, Rwanda registered the third highest purchasing power parity in Africa after Botswana and Mauritius. Another 2003 report by the World Bank ranked Rwanda as one of Africa’s top performers in terms of good governance and least level of corruption. All these are good testimonials which may continue to divert foreign aids and investment into the Central Africa country. There is the belief that the US and its allies in the Breton Wood institutions are only helping Rwanda to atone for their sin of staying aloof while the carnage in Rwanda went on unimpeded. But the most important thing is that that country is rebuilding itself and laying foundation for a better future for the citizenry. The government seems to be adopting the twin policies of economic empowerment and infrastructural provision to tame the aggression of the past which led to the carnage for which the Rwandan people have been stigmatised. But now, the country is already being rebuilt and we pray that NEVER AGAIN will the regime of hatred return to Rwanda. This article was first published by This Day

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Rwanda - Rising from the ashes