Rwanda’s resolve to journey on paying off

Last week, Rwanda made headlines when it was named among Time magazine’s top destinations in the world. The news came a few days after Rwanda successfully hosted a well-attended Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

The question that many cannot stop asking themselves is; why does Rwanda succeed where others fail? Not so long ago, the country topped the list of the world’s no-go zones.

It was a country known by so many for the Genocide that took place nearly three decades back and for the many Rwandan refugees that resided in different countries. 

This outlook of pity has, overnight, changed and flipped to a country on the move. Measured in so many dimensions, Rwanda implies success in so many things, from economic development, social welfare, technological advancement to tourism development, to name but a few.

The underlying aspiration of Rwanda’s liberation has always been to create a unified and prosperous nation. The country’s leadership invested a lot in developing and entrenching a transformational ideology that guides Rwandans in their respective undertakings. The country’s ‘Thinking Big’ mantra proved to be not just a slogan but a picture-perfect dogma that the people easily socialized with. 

We should not gloss over the fact that Rwanda was a failed state in 1994 because that is exactly what it was. The economy had shrunk to the negatives; the genocidal government fled the country after stripping bare the national treasury while more than a million people had been killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that was organized by the then leadership.

More than a million citizens had become refugees in neighbouring countries, the infrastructure had been dilapidated, and there was no functioning health system, among other ills that inflicted what was left of the country. 

For so many, including Rwandans, it had become a country never to take off again. The only possible option to resuscitate such a country was strong leadership with a sound vision and active citizen participation in the process.

The latter seemed impossible to so many. But Rwanda’s current leadership demonstrated that nothing is impossible where there is a resolve to journey onward. 

Let us go back to the Time magazine ranking of Rwanda among the world’s top 50 destinations for 2022. Yes, Kigali is not only pushing towards a green future but towards becoming Africa’s smart city as well. 

The move is not limited to Kigali, the capital city, alone. It is a national plan that aims at achieving national development without compromising on environmental protection, and it is yielding results. One wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is the “Thinking Big” mantra that is in force here. Without the right focus on green energy development, development projects wouldn’t be sustainable in all dimensions.

While many expect to look at the achievements Rwanda has registered overnight as magical, the answer lies elsewhere. It is simply a transformational leadership that actively engages the citizenry, who then own the process and move in one direction.

As you plan to visit Rwanda, remember to pack your sports apparel for you will need to ride a GuraRide, that you get through a bike sharing App that will give you easy and affordable access to electric scooters, road bikes and e-bikes, to tour the city.  

Feel free to visit the car free zones around the country and sip at your cup of coffee in a pollution-free environment.  For golf lovers, there is an 18-hole golf course in the city. And for nature admirers, have a splendid walk in Nyandungu wetland eco-tourism park.

The country is very safe for the mountain bikers, hikers and for ones who want to visit wild animals. Akagera National Park hosts the big five. Cap it with a trek of the Volcanoes National Park to have a rare experience with the mountain gorillas.

If you choose to stay longer, just be assured that Rwanda has been named the best conducive environment for investment in Africa. Your value for money will be guaranteed. And the security of your investment assured more than any other place on the continent. 

All this happened not as a miracle but as a result of transformational leadership that is citizen centered.