The eagerness to build a new country permeates the modern-day Rwanda. The government is pursuing an active policy against poverty in which economic development has a central place. Special investments are being made within sectors like the IT sector; to reduce the dependency on farming, which today employs around 90 per cent of the population.
Rwanda has produced Vision 2020, which illustrates the country’s ambitious targets for the future. The aim is for Rwanda to become a middle-income country by 2020. One tool to achieve this is the country’s current strategy to combat poverty, which also forms the basis for our efforts in the country. The strategy underlines the development of the private sector, the construction of a knowledge-based society and good governance for greater public participation and accountability.
A large national study carried out late 2011 shows that Rwanda has managed to reach its goal of poverty reduction, with the amount of people living in extreme poverty decreasing from 37 to 24 per cent the last five years. At the same time, the process for democratic development and freedom of speech in Rwanda shows more negative tendencies. There is no real political opposition in the country, a fact that became evident during the last parliamentary election in 2008, where most opposition parties were in exile.
Rwanda’s current strategy to combat poverty – EDPRS 2008–2012 (pdf).
A long way to go
After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda’s infrastructure was ravaged and its economy without future prospects. Many people had severe problems to find themselves food for the day, and two million people were displaced. From these conditions, a remarkable change has taken place.
Although poverty remains widespread, the country has achieved strong economic and social development in recent years. The private sector has seen constant growth, and the modernization of farming will revitalize the core of the Rwandan economy. More children are also going to school, and infant mortality is falling year by year.
Sweden’s focus areas in Rwanda:
- Peace and reconciliation
- Democracy and human rights
- Economic development
- Management of natural resources
- Research
Read more about Sida’s work in Rwanda
