Maria Knodt

What do you know about Rwanda? Most of my friends told me that they have heard about its genocide and could roughly point it out on a map – but did you know that Rwanda is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, that it has the world’s highest representation of women in parliament, and that it is one of the cleanest and safest (saver than Germany and the UK based on the World Economic Forum) countries in the world? No? Then read on.

Nicknamed the land of a thousand hills, it’s is one of the smallest countries in Central and East Africa mainly covered by mountains with its highest one Mount Karisimbi reaching 4,500 meters. This leads to a temperate climate despite its proximity to the equator. The capital Kigali is lying on 1,500 meters and temperatures range between 25-28 degrees during the day and 15-18 degrees at night – perfect for a good night’s sleep and a pool dip during the day. Saying this, Rwanda is landlocked, so you will not see me relaxing at the beach, but at best in my garden pool or one of the many lakes which permeate the country and seems to be a popular weekend destination for the expats living in Kigali. Apparently though, it is not as easy to explore the country side, as Rwanda is densely populated and any trip requires crossing private territory and hence the hiring of a guide. Besides Rwanda’s economic focus on minerals, tea, and coffee, no major natural resources exist and hence it is shifting towards enhancing the tourist industry. The mountain gorillas, which are threatened with extinction, are the major tourist attraction. With a permit costing USD 1,500, which does not yet include the guide and lodging, it is not targeted at budget tourists. The income goes towards the conservation of the gorilla population and their natural habitat and the number of permits per day are very limited to minimise the negative impact on the gorillas. For the more frugal traveller, the neighbouring countries Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offer cheaper opportunities to see the endangered primates.

Having said that, the DRC is the one neighbouring country with the highest instability and since the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, which had a tremendous influence, it is seeing waves of escalations of its civil war. Just recently, tensions in the northeast of the country were rising again, with roughly 44,000 refugees having fled over the border to Uganda since beginning of the year. Not a place one should go without having a very good reason to do so.

Speaking about the genocide and its legacy, tensions between the two major social classes or ethnic groups the Hutu and Tutsi (heavy debating among historians which one is the correct classification) rose from the Rwanda Revolution in 1959 onwards, fuelled by the support of the Tutsi by the colonial powers Germany and later Belgium, and escalated in the genocide of 1994, where the Hutu population killed around 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu. I will try to understand better when in the country how especially young people are dealing with this not so distant part, which affected almost every family and has left an entire country with psychological scars. From what I read and heard so far, the majority of the population tries not to focus on past divides, but rather on the joint economic development of their countries – which has come a long way since then.

Rwanda’s real GDP grew an astonishing 8% per annum on average between 2001 and 2015 and had a value of USD 8.4 billion in 2016. Combined with its political stability since the genocide, it is becoming increasingly popular with start-ups and other private sector players. In it’s Vision 2020, long-term president Paul Kagame lays out the structure of how Rwanda want to achieve middle-income status and reduce their dependency on foreign aid. Thereby, Rwandan entrepreneurship is supposed to play a central role in combination with a strengthening of the financial sector. Furthermore, the document outlines Rwandas commitment to gender equality. With 64% of women in parliament, it is definitely championing one aspect already and puts most developed countries to shame. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do and traditional role models do seem dominant in daily life.

One of the other key focus areas of Rwandas development is the sustainable use of natural resources and protection of the environment. In order to reduce waste, plastic bags were forbidden ten years ago. What is praised widely as a very successful implementation of environmental policy, also has its dark sides with very strict enforcement rules in place against any violations. Besides this, the capital Kigali requires citizens to take part in a monthly community clean-up day and introduced a car-free day once a month while offering free exercise activities and health checkups on that day.

However, the main challenges the country currently faces seems to be its poor infrastructure and little access to electricity – only 41% do have access, of which 11% are off-grid. The start-up I support is trying to change this by providing solar powered nano-grids and smart metering systems to rural areas in the country. Even though there are a couple of other companies that are dedicated to similar causes, MeshPower’s strength lies in offering energy-as-a-service and using a pay-as-you-go scheme (more on this to follow).

Besides this, there is a strong focus on using technology and innovation for development as outlined in the Vision 2020. One of the most hyped start-ups in Rwanda for example delivers vaccines and blood via drone into remote areas – the world’s only drone delivery system of its kind operating on a national scale.

As you can see, it’s an exciting country with a lot of possibilities and I am looking forward to learn more about it along the way. The next stories will be more in depth and related to my personal experience 🙂