Last week, the 10th annual National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) closed with participants committing to work towards Rwanda’s self-reliance.The government has delivered on most of the recommendations from the previous annual national dialogues, but some promises made by individuals remain on paper.The Agaciro development fund has so far showed good signs of commitment to addressing the country’s challenges. These efforts and the amount of money raised so far in a short time point to a population that is determined to seek home grown solutions.This is obviously a positive step that not only shows patriotism but also a certain level of clear focus.However the challenge still remains on how to execute all the good plans agreed on at the national forum at an individual level. Like the saying goes, a promise is a debt. What we promise to achieve as individuals should be taken as a debt we ought to pay back.It is therefore imperative that as much as there may be challenges, people should try as much as possible to fulfill their promises.As we take stock of the previous recommendations and look forward to this year’s recommendations, relevant authorities must also expedite the necessary facilitation to ease the fulfillment of the recommendations.The global budgetary constraints now demand that greater financial support of developing countries should be sourced from within internally generated resources than relying on donors. It is time all those who promised to implement particular projects during the National dialogue rose to the occasion and walked the talk.
