The reading of the annual national budget always attracts attention, from the most humble person in the village to the university don.People are glued to their television sets and radios, to find out how the budget will affect their livelihoods and therefore plan ahead.This year’s budget presentation was no different, but it brought some pleasant surprises. The most outstanding one is that 60.2 percent of the 1.6 trillion budget will be raised from internal revenues.As if to push the message home, in this year’s theme; “Striving for self-reliance and dignity”, key areas were given a boost. Over 15,000 cows were distributed to the population last year as part of the social protection policies, which has been one of the key factors in driving the economy forward.Development projects took the lion’s share of the 2013/2014 allocations, translating into 48.5 percent of the total budget, because, therein lies the secret of economic success. This was the path taken by today’s developed countries and there is no reason why Rwanda should reinvent the wheel.Communication networks to help farmers get their goods to markets, well equipped health centres to guarantee the wellbeing of the worker, as well as more schools to create a skilled middle class is the way to go.The country has already embarked on the path, and it is not surprising, therefore, that last year saw one million people lifted out of poverty. Many hurdles still remain to be manoeuvred – such as reducing the trade deficit – but that can also be surmounted if the country continues on its current path to self reliance.
