Rwanda’s Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente has detailed the progress made under Rwanda’s seven-year National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) from 2017 to 2024.

Addressing both houses of Parliament on June 5, 2024, Ngirente noted significant achievements while acknowledging challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic shifts, and climate change.

Strategy Overview

The NST1 aimed to transition Rwanda from Vision 2020 towards Vision 2050, focusing on three pillars: economic, social, and governance transformation. Ngirente emphasized key sectors within these pillars, highlighting substantial improvements and ongoing challenges.

Agriculture and Livestock

The strategy sought to boost agricultural productivity through local seed production, fertilizer use, land consolidation, and irrigation. Key achievements include:

• Consolidation of 773,000 hectares of cultivable land (target: 980,000 hectares).
• Expansion of irrigable land to 71,585 hectares from 48,508 hectares.
• Soil erosion control on 142,000 hectares (target: 142,500 hectares).
• Doubling of seed production from 3,416 tons to 6,131 tons.
• Fertilizer use increased from 32 kg/ha to 70 kg/ha (target: 75 kg/ha).
• Government-supplied fertilizers grew from 45,000 tons to 96,000 tons.

Milk production saw a boost, with collection centers increasing from 56 to 134 and production rising from 776 million liters to 1 billion liters. Ngirente emphasized the need for further adoption of agricultural technology and increased participation in livestock and crop insurance schemes.

Infrastructure Development

Land use master plans were updated in nearly all districts and Kigali, resulting in 87 new planned settlements housing 17,000 vulnerable families. Despite questions about road quality, significant progress was reported:

• 1,700 km of new major roads.
• 230 km of new roads in Kigali and other towns.
• 4,137 km of feeder roads.
• Street lighting extended from 663 km to 2,185 km.

Efforts to achieve 100% access to clean water and electricity by 2024 have shown progress, with water production increasing from 182,120 m³ in 2017 to 329,652 m³, and electricity access rising from 34.4% (931,552 homes) to 76.3% (2,629,673 homes).

Industrial Growth

Rwanda focused on boosting local production and exports, especially in mining and financial services. Three pharmaceutical plants and other manufacturing facilities were established. The manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP grew to 22%, and job creation reached 1,374,214 annually out of the targeted 1.5 million jobs. Despite setbacks from COVID-19, significant strides were made, including the construction of four mineral processing plants, increasing export revenues from $374 million to $1.1 billion.

Trade and Tourism

To enhance trade, Rwanda established nine markets, one lake port (Rubavu), and an inland port in Masaka, Kigali. Tourism, a major foreign exchange earner, grew from $370 million to $620 million, with $95 million generated from hosting meetings and conferences (MICE).

ICT and Financial Inclusion

Ngirente reported that 97% of Rwanda is covered by internet connectivity, with 68.9% of the population as users. E-services expanded from 155 in 2017 to 684. Financial inclusion improved, with 93% of adults now financially included through increased access to credit and savings.

Education and Health

In education, Rwanda constructed 27,000 classrooms, significantly reducing overcrowding. The number of technical schools increased from 200 to 395 out of 416 sectors. Teachers’ career paths and salaries were improved, and school feeding programs boosted student performance.

Health infrastructure saw the addition of seven hospitals and an increase in health centers and posts from 473 to 1,252. Health insurance coverage reached 90.6%, and life expectancy rose from 66 to 69.6 years.

Looking Ahead

The next phase, NST2, is under preparation and will be launched soon, continuing Rwanda’s commitment to sustainable development and improved living standards for its citizens.

Src: www.ktpress.rw