The eagerness to build a new country runs through politics like a common thread in 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 the IT sector to reduce the dependency on farming, which today employs 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 that 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.
Rwanda’s current strategy to combat poverty – EDPRS 2008–2012.
A long way to go
After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda woke up to find its infrastructure dilapidated and an economy without future prospects. Much of the population was living in severe poverty, and 2 million people were displaced. From these conditions, a remarkable change has occurred.
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.
Read more about Sida’s work in Rwanda
