Rwanda’s stunning rise

Is Rwanda the best place to be a female politician? The question has to be raised here because Rwanda’s parliament may be the only institution of its type in the world where the men constitute a distinct minority. This parliament has a female population of 64%, in keeping with the government’s intention to achieve gender […]

Is Rwanda the best place to be a female politician? The question has to be raised here because Rwanda’s parliament may be the only institution of its type in the world where the men constitute a distinct minority. This parliament has a female population of 64%, in keeping with the government’s intention to achieve gender balance in politics and this has its roots in the decisions taken at Beijing 1995. The answer therefore is yes, Rwanda is the best place to be a female politician on the globe, especially given the opportunities open to women in this green East African country. It is also a nice place to be a woman, because the impact  of the new developments in the country combine to raise the status of the woman. This is a nice turn in fortunes for a country whose women suffered much in the 1994 genocide. It can be said that the mills of the Almighty grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine, and it is now  joyful harvest time for the female folk. The country had to get close to a state of total collapse, before it was able to revive and renew itself ,similar to  the way green life will suddenly sprout from decaying  matter. The men in the parliament have immediately and naturally become a minority. Older African countries have not yet achieved this percentage in their parliaments, and the  golden example of Rwanda  is therefore an  African ,as well as a global record. These numbers are bound to have an uplifting social and economic effect on Rwanda, especially when the female parliamentarians advance causes which improve the lives of women, and this will have  a healing ,moulding  and liberating effect on the larger society which is made up of men, women and children. Of course, there will be no need to lobby any   male caucus before a bill is passed, and the time and energy usually spent on this could be diverted to other noble purposes.
But how did this stellar situation arise in this small, landlocked country of a thousand hills and 11 million citizens? Rwanda Dispatch in its edition of October 2013 states “Since September 2008, Rwanda has been leading with a big margin in the area of women’s empowerment following the 56.3% women representation in the national assembly. Results of this year’s  Parliamentary election attested to the entire world  that the first achievement was not fortuitous when the concluded polls were again in favour of women with 51 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of the 80 seats that were  there for grabs ,accounting for  about 64%.’The magazine goes on to state ‘all political parties,as a legal requirement are mandated to present a list of their candidates for the direct seats of which a minimum of 30  must be women.However, political parties are free to go above the minimum like it was the case in the concluded parliamentary elections when the President Kagame RPF-led coalition presented an 80 member list, 40 of them were women. RPF won 20 seats about 49% of the 41 which the party won.” With 64%  of the seats in the parliament held by the women, Rwanda has made a world record in pursuit of the 1995 Beijing commitments, which stress that both men and women have equal opportunities to access positions of decision making. Speaking recently on the empowerment of women in the new Rwanda, President Paul Kagame  who is the 6th President of the country , and commanded  the rebel forced that brought the 1994 genocide to an end, states “When we passed an inclusive constitution that transcends politics based on division ,and entrenched the rights of women as full partners in nation building, for the first time, we were choosing to be together.’
Let us now turn to the  burgeoning Rwandan economy where there are a series of many firsts in the country. In Rwanda, it takes an individual just  6 hours to start a business. Daily Trust confirmed this during a visit to the Rwanda Development Board,and this is the board driving the many radical developments occuring in the country today.The country holds the 9th position in the world in terms of registering a business, partly due to the  shortened required procedures and free of charge online registration,and the country is  reputed to be the most competitive place to do business in East Africa. It  is also ranked as the third in Africa in this context. Rwanda is also the 22nd easiest place to pay taxes worldwide. The country was also recently ranked first by the World Bank Doing Business Report 2013,  as the easiest country to pay taxes among EAC member states. Business regulations are now easier in Rwanda than the average economy in Eastern Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Africa, states Investing in Rwanda which is a rich repository of information on developments in Rwanda today.

But how about developments relating to infrastructure in Rwanda? This  is also receiving special attention,and the future looks bright in the country in respect of transport. For instance,a new railway line, being the Mombasa-South Sudan-Kampala-Kigali line is in the pipeline. It will have a standard gauge which is wider, and therefore capable of carrying heavier loads, and work is  expected to be completed by 2018.Rwandair is the national carrier and it now has flights to fifteen destinations including Nairobi, Entebbe, Arusha, Mombasa, Dubai, Lagos, Johannesburg to mention a few. Linked to this is the fact that a new world class airport (Bugesera International Airport) is planned.This airport will provide both extra capacity for passenger transport and will also develop cargo freight. Again, Rwanda  is located in the heart of Central and East Africa with easy access to bordering countries of Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to Kenya. Rwanda is ideal for travel in the region. In a few years time, Rwanda  will clearly become a major hub in terms of commerce and tourism in the East African region. In agriculture, the country produces world class exports including coffee and tea, and there are many opportunities for regional export expansion. In terms of electricity, Rwanda intends to utilise methane gas to develop methane to -power projects, and other uses  such as fertilizer and gas-to liquid projects. The methane in Lake Kivu is estimated to be sufficient to generate 700 MW of electricity over a period of 55 years. Rwanda’s share of the total generation potential is about 350MW, while the rest is DRC’s share. Investigating in Rwanda is eloquent on this point.  
The country continues to be one of the fastest growing African countries in ICT ,and there are several avenues for growth for  the sector. Saluting the efforts Rwanda has made in the context of the internet, President Kagame states “When we invested in a broadband network that reaches all our 390 districts we were thinking big.”
Strides  in health within the country have resulted in Malaria going down by 85%, and child mortality also down by 50%. In many other African countries Malaria is still claiming lives, while child mortality is still a major challenge. There is also health insurance available for every citizen. Rwanda is also ahead of the other countries in the sub region in terms of its management of  stockpiles of arms and ammunition. 42,266 small arms and light weapons have so far been destroyed by Rwanda.52 tons of unexploded ordinances have also been destroyed. The preponderance of small arms is a significant problem today, especially in West Africa. Rwanda has been described by Transparency International as the least corrupt of the countries in East Africa. President Kagame commenting on this, says ‘‘When we sanction an official, no matter how high ranking, who abuses their power or engages in corruption, we are being accountable.” Now, Kigali,the capital of Rwanda, which sits within an infinity  of  lovely  rolling hills, is  today one of the neatest, safest and cleanest cities on the continent. There is a sense of order and focus, easily observable, if you visit and drive around the capital.

But what is the background to these impressive statistics and developments in the country? President Paul Kagame speaking in the first week of April during the commemoration of the 1994 genocide, shed light on this. He refers to the unbreakable Rwandan spirit which is also responsible for the country’s renewal. His words “We also salute the unbreakable Rwandan spirit, to which we owe the survival and the renewal of our country… You have taken responsibility and you have forgiven. Your sacrifices are a gift to the nation. They are the seed from which the new Rwanda grows.” The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in a recent speech, comments on the great changes that have come upon Rwanda,and the unique steps  made locally that have  lifted the country from the gloom. Her words “Rwanda rebuilt its judicial system, almost from scratch. It resolved to bring the suspects of the genocide to justice. This was no easy task, given that in 1996 over 100,000 suspects  were still in jail… despite the widespread thirst for revenge, Rwanda reinstalled the tradition of gacaca, a community justice system involving mediation, confession and acts of contrition.”
The Minister goes ahead to comment “…Today, twenty years on, a new generation of Rwandans  has grown up in peace and security. For them a new chapter is being written with the most recent campaign called Ndi Umunyarwanda, or I am Rwandan.” In Rwanda today, the emphasis is on being Rwandan, rather than a stress on the tribe. It is a new concept that will help Rwanda and many other African countries that are navigating the  minefield of  primordial and base  ethnic passions and rivalries. She also salutes the fact that education, health care, literacy and life expectancy have all improved tremendously.” Rwanda is a country which is interested in moving forward, and a  genocide commission and a unity and reconciliation commission were also set up. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya while speaking in Kigali in early April commented on the changes that have come upon the country. His words ‘Rwanda has moved forward together with Kenya and East Africa. You are no longer just a nearby country; you are a first line partner in our transformative political and economic enterprises. These days we look out for each other.”
Also speaking at the same event, President Kagame says with insight “If the genocide reveals humanity’s shocking capacity for cruelty, Rwanda’s choices show its capacity for renewal. Today, half of all Rwandans are under 20. Nearly three -quarters are under 30. They are the new Rwanda. Seeing these young people gives us enormous hope.”
But, there is something very interesting going on within these serene  and quiet hills which the eye is always compelled to look at: If you are poor Rwanda is the best place to be, because there is a one cow per poor family policy in the country. In this policy cows are given to poor families, and this extends a whole new cycle of nutrients to the family, gives them a source of milk,and finance. If you are poor you get a cow from the state, and this is  a culture which has its roots in normal Rwandan life.

Commenting on this policy, Rwandapedia states “The program is based on the premise that providing a dairy cow to poor households helps to improve their livelihood as a result of a more nutritious and balanced diet from milk, increased agricultural output through better soil fertility as well as greater incomes by commercialising dairy products.” Poverty is  not   a curse. An individual’s poor status entitles him  to a course of carefully monitored state help and assistance, which means that  he will finally get a cow along with all the advantages of this. This policy has freed many from the firm grip of penury in just a few years, and 148,000 cows have been given out to needy individuals since the policy began in 2006. In seeking the way forward, the Rwandan state has looked into indigenous culture for several homegrown solutions to lift the country to the next level. It’s one cow per poor family policy, is a splendid example of this homegrown solution, alongside Gacaca,an alternative local justice system which has equally worked. Landlocked and set within some of the finest landscapes in  East Africa, Rwanda today  is   renewing itself and  becoming an economic and cultural force in Africa. Rwanda is the best place to be a female politician, and it is also a  perfect  place to be poor. Rather than a reference to one’s ethnic root ,an inspiring ‘I am Rwandan’, is the  preferred phrase across the country today. Rwanda looks like an idea whose time has come.