PROMOTING AN ECONOMY BASED ON THE COUNTRY’S NATURAL RESOURCES

The Rwandan economy has been marked by the following problems for a long time:

- Minimal yield mainly based on subsistence farming that could only satisfy the country’s demand and even then, not at all times. It was insufficient to spare any for either interior or foreign marketing;

- Inadequate agricultural knowledge and technology, as a result Rwanda produced low-yield and low-value crops;

- Shortage of technologically skilled workers;

- Insufficient savings and investment for lasting development;

- Scarce natural resources to achieve the development of Rwanda;

- Being a land-locked country, Rwanda faces steep importation and exportation expenses;

- Dependence of donors and the mentality of expecting socio-economic development to come from the grants of foreign countries: with the people depending on the government and the government in turn, depending on donors ;

- The AIDS scourge that claims the lives of many young people who still have the knowledge and potential to develop the country;

- The aftermath of the genocide that claimed over one million lives leaving orphans, handicapped people and widows who are unable to look after themselves or developing themselves. It also destroyed infrastructure that could help in the development of Rwanda. The genocide also shattered the hope that the people had in their government. Foreign investors also lost trust in the government’s stability.

The RPF-INKOTANYI is committed to resolving these hindrances faced by Rwanda in order to build an independent economy based on Rwanda’s natural resources. More particularly:

- TheRPF-INKOTANYIwillstrivetoachieve good governance in order to restore the people’s faith in their government, so that the people as well as foreign investors may participate in the development of Rwanda’s economy, and for all Rwandans to benefit from that development.

More especially, the RPF-INKOTANYI will encourage women to play a crucial role at all levels of Rwanda’s economic development.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI will encourage economic development through the private sector such that the government would play the role of making legislation that favours and encourages investment in Rwanda. However, the government can also invest in any lucrative initiatives that could benefit the country or when the private sector is not yet ready to invest in them.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI realizes that Rwanda’s greatest natural resource is its people. For this reason, the RPF- INKOTANYI will allocate the largest portion of the government’s resources into education especially in the field of science, technology, entrepreneurship and management in order to develop themselves and the country as a whole.

The RPF-INKOTANYI aims at making Rwanda the commercial hub of the great lakes region, especially in information technology services.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI will aim for the development of the country’s natural resources and the preservation of its environment. More especially the RPF-INKOTANYI will strive to utilize these natural resources for the economic development of the country (methane gas in Lake Kivu, the scenery from the mountains, valleys, lakes, forests, animals…)

- Genocide brought security problems in both Rwanda and the great lakes region.

Inside the country, there are people who committed genocide, who are ready to kill anyone that might have witnessed their evil deeds. On the other hand, there may be genocide survivors who are ready to take the law into their own hands and take revenge against those who killed their relatives.

- TheRPF-INKOTANYIwfflstrivetodevelop the agricultural sector of the country in order to obtain adequate yield to ensure food security locally and spare some for exportation. The RPF-INKOTANYI will also ensure that crops are grown in areas of optimal climate and soil

- The RPF-INKOTANYI will also encourage the cultivation of more lucrative crops, the use of high yield seeds and the application of fertilizers.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI wiU pursue the modification of land laws in order for them to facilitate the land Based economic development. The RPF-INKOTANYI will facilitate Rwandans who are dependant on subsistence farming to find alternative livelihoods such that the agricultural sector will be left to professional in that field.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI will strive for Rwanda to achieve advanced information technology with the latest technology as well as sufficient and affordable electric energy. The RPF-INKOTANYI will promote the construction of roads to connect all corners of the country with neighbouring countries in order to facilitate trade. The RPF-INKOTANYI will also endeavour to accomplish the construction of railway line connecting Rwanda with the Indian Ocean.

- The RPF-INKOTANYI will fight against the customary dependence on foreign aid in Rwanda such that the people will realize that they have the potential to develop by themselves.