Small and landlocked, Rwanda is hilly and fertile with a densely packed population of about 12. 2 million people (2017). It borders the far larger and richer Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as its closest East African neighbors, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. With the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Rwanda has been able to make important economic and structural reforms and sustain its economic growth rates over the last decade.
Political Context
Rwanda has guarded its political stability since the 1994 genocide. Parliamentary elections in September 2018 saw women fill 64% of the seats, the Rwandan Patriotic Front maintain an absolute majority in the Chamber of Deputies and, for the first time, two opposition parties, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and Social Party Imberakuri, winning seats (two each) in the parliament. President Paul Kagame was re-elected to a seven-year term in the August 2018, following an amendment to the constitution in December 2015 allowing him to serve a third term.
Economic Overview
Rwanda put in place implementation mechanisms to rapidly achieve its long-term goals. Over the last 10 years, Rwanda implemented two, five-year Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategies—EDPRS (2008-12) and EDPRS-2 (2013-18)—both designed to help the country realize its Vision 2020 development plan. Nested sector-specific strategies and district development plans reflecting Rwanda’s well-advanced decentralization drive helped guide EDPRS implementation. Rwanda is finalizing the National Strategy for Transformation (NST), the planned successor to EDPRS-2 covering the period of 2018–2024. Rwanda’s NST focuses on economic, social, and governance transformation toward the aspiration of Vision 2050.
Development Challenges
Public investments have been the main driver of growth in recent years. External financing through grants, concessional and non-concessional borrowing played an important role in financing of public investments. Growth slowdown of 2016 and 2017 highlighted the limits of public sector-led growth model. Going forward, the private sector will play a bigger role in helping to ensure economic growth. Low domestic savings, skills, and the high cost of energy are some of the major constraints to private investment. Stronger dynamism in the private sector will help to sustain high investment rate and accelerate the growth. Promoting domestic savings is viewed as critical.
Social Context
Rwanda’s strong economic growth was accompanied by substantial improvements in living standards, with a two-thirds drop in child mortality and near-universal primary school enrollment. A strong focus on homegrown policies and initiatives has contributed to
Last Updated: Oct 12, 2018