Academic literature on the topic 'Rwanda, Economic conditions'

Emerging out of the horrific spasm of genocide that claimed more than 800,000 of the minority Tutsi ethnic group in 1994, Rwanda has chalked up some spectacular economic performance. Its rate of economic growth has averaged 8% since 2001 and it is among the fastest growing economies in East Africa. Poverty rates have been halved and Rwanda is one of the very few African countries that was able to achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also has the highest representation of women in Parliament.This paper, however, argues that impressive though Rwanda’s economic performance might be, it is not sustainable. First, it is heavily dependent upon foreign aid, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in aid. Second, the Asian Tiger economic model Rwanda copied from Singapore-development under authoritarianism—has failed miserably in postcolonial Africa. No dictator—civilian, military nor rebel—has brought lasting prosperity to any African country. Third, the other types of reform Rwanda needs to sustain its economic achievement—intellectual, political, constitutional and institutional reforms—are petulantly missing. How these reforms are sequenced is also critically important. Focusing only on economic liberalization to the detriment of the other reforms amounts to putting the cart before the horse. Finally and most disconcerting of all, in his understandable zeal to prevent another genocide, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is unwittingly re-creating the very conditions that led to the 1994 genocide—a supreme irony.

In the last two decades following the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has been praised internationally for its strong leadership and revamped governance structures. This has resulted in rapid economic development, restorative justice, homegrown peacebuilding approaches, the tackling of corruption, and restoring security in a country that some analysts had prematurely depicted a hopeless case in state failure. In particular, promotion of women’s rights has become a cornerstone of the Rwandan success story, but few scholars have examined the women who participated in this process and their positive contribution in rebuilding their communities. This article focuses on the role a small group of female leaders at different levels of society played in creating and fostering peacebuilding initiatives over the past two decades. It relies on secondary sources and the author’s observations of several processes in the Rwandan society for more than a decade. It focuses on constructive steps taken in Rwandan society to promote women’s leadership, which sets it apart from many other post-conflict countries while being aware of legitimate critiques of post-genocide Rwandan conditions.

Displacement, forced migration, and resettlement in Africa have been attributed to a variety of causes and is disrupting all aspects of people’s lives, breaking social, cultural and economic networks that are critical to sustaining livelihoods. Rwanda is one of the countries in Africa with a long history of multiple displacements, and the life trajectories of many Rwandans are characterised by multiple experiences of displacement, and involuntary migration. Although many have researched the effects of displacement on people’s livelihoods from both an academic, as well as a practitioner’s viewpoint, less is known about the effects of multiple and repeated displacements over time on people’s livelihood. Instead of treating each displacement separately, this article aims to analyse the effects of repeated displacement the livelihoods and adaptive capacity of households in Rwanda. To this purpose, six months of fieldwork were conducted in the north-western region of Rwanda, collecting data from a household livelihood survey, household livelihood and mobility histories, and focus group discussions. The research highlights the importance of social and human capital as crucial to people’s resilience. However, the successive loss of natural capital in combination with changing social and economic conditions diminishes the ability of many households to keep employing these capitals to reconstruct a sustainable livelihood. Forced to become increasingly creative and flexible in their coping strategies, many households employ mobility as a survival mechanism to spread risks.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of economic factors in choosing alternative service providers and to recommend suitable measures that could be taken to improve the use of health services in Rwanda. The study uses a multinomial logit framework and employs the Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV2) conducted in 2005 by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). To handle the problem of endogeneity, we estimate a structural model. The results indicate that health insurance is an important factor in the choice of health facilities. User fees are major financial barriers to health care access in Rwanda. The results suggest that as household income increases, patients shift from public to private health facilities where quality is assumed to be high. A number of policy recommendations emerge from these findings. First, as insurance is an important factor in choosing a health care facility, policies that reduce health care costs to patients would substantially increase the use of health services. Second, since an increase in income allows the patient to shift to private facilities, the government should consider subsidizing private health facilities to enable access to care in private sector facilities by low-income households. Finally, since distance affects access to health care in Rwanda, there is a need to improve geographical accessibility to health facilities across regions by upgrading and expanding transportation and health infrastructures.

Background: Globally, there is a large unmet need for family planning in the postpartum period: 90% of women in this group want family planning for birth spacing or to avoid unintended pregnancies and stop child bearing once desired family size has been reached. In total 76% of Rwandan women want family planning postpartum, yet a 26% unmet need remains. Currently, the four most commonly used postpartum family planning methods in Rwanda are injections, subdermal implants, pills, and condoms. The economic and health benefit impact of the current method selection has not yet been evaluated. Methods: To evaluate the impact of current usage rates and method types, this cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) compared the most frequently used family planning methods in Rwanda broken into two categories, longer-acting reversible contraception (LARC) (injections and subdermal implants) and shorter-acting reversible contraceptives (non-LARC) (pills and condoms). A time horizon of 24 months was used to reflect the World Health Organization suggested two-year spacing from birth until the next pregnancy, and was conducted from a health systems perspective. This CEA compared two service package options to provide a comparator for the two method types, thus enabling insights to differences between the two. Results: For women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Rwanda, including LARC postpartum family planning methods in the options, saves $18.73 per pregnancy averted, compared to family planning options that offer non-LARC methods exclusively. Conclusion: There is an opportunity to avert unplanned pregnancies associated with increased utilization of LARC methods. The full benefits of LARC are not yet realized in Rwanda. Under the conditions presented in this study, a service package that includes LARC has the potential to be cost-saving compared with one non-LARC methods. Effective health messaging of LARC use for the postpartum population could both enhance health and reduce costs.

The article shows how the achievements of the Polish science of teaching people with visual impairments are used in a country that is completely culturally different. Analysis of the use of the method of work centers in the Center for Blind People in Kibeho, Rwanda, is preceded with the discussion of the disability model used in African countries and the presentation of basic data on the economic and social situation of people with visual impairments in Rwanda. The main part of the article describes the theoretical and practical principles of the method of work centers in the context of satisfying blind students' special educational needs. It presents methodological solutions used during the successive stages of a daily work center, giving special attention to the principles of conducting non-visual observation. It shows the adaptation of the curriculum to Rwanda's cultural, geographical, political and social conditions. It describes the aims, form and course of training sessions on planning and carrying out activities according to the method of work centers, emphasizing difficulties in conducting them resulting from the specific nature of African teachers' working style and mentality. Learning about, understanding and respect for a different cultural sphere facilitated mutual agreement between Polish special educators and Kibeho teachers, and the improvement of the quality of the educational offer for students with visual impairments. The training project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hear Africa Foundation described in the article proved that the method of work centers is universal as a form of educational and rehabilitation interventions for blind children and can be effectively used both in Poland, and in Rwanda.

In recent decades, population growth and economic development have greatly influenced the pattern of land use/land cover (LULC) in Rwanda. Nevertheless, LULC patterns and their underlying change mechanisms under future climate conditions are not well known. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the direction of LULC transfer in the study area, identify the factors driving the transfer of different types of LULC and their changes, and simulate future LULC patterns under future climate conditions. Based on LULC analyses of Rwanda in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2015, the LULC pattern of Rwanda in the next 30 years was simulated using an LULC transition matrix, random forest sampling, the Markov chain model, and the PLUS model. The results showed that LULC change in the study area primarily comprised a decrease in forest area and expansion of cropland area, accompanied by a small increase in grassland area and an annual increase in urban land area. Prior to 2000, the LULC in Rwanda was mainly converted from forest and grassland to cropland, with the ratio being 0.72:0.28. After 2010, the LULC was mainly converted from forest to grassland and cropland, with the ratio being 0.83:0.17. Changes in forests, grasslands, and cropland are driven by multiple factors, whereas changes in wetlands, water, urban land, and unused land are more likely to be driven by a single factor. The existing trend of LULC change will continue for the next 30 years, and the future LULC pattern will exhibit a trend in which cropland area will increase in the west and grassland area will decrease, whereas grassland area will increase in the east and cropland area will decrease.

Background: Rwanda Ministry of Health in collaboration with partners has initiated an innovative initiative named Home Based Care Practitioners (HBCPs) to respond to the burden of long-term hospitalization for end of life patients. Aim: The program aims at providing home-based care to accompany patients and their families in their home, reduce unnecessary pain and suffering for those with chronic or terminal conditions, provide counseling to the patients and their families, early diagnosis of NCDs and improve awareness on prevention of NCDs risk factors and effectively refer them to either health facilities or community-based resources that can be of further help. Methods: The HBCPs is implemented into phases; phase one has started with a pilot of 200 HBCPs in 100 cells surrounding nine provincial and referral hospitals of Rwanda; 2 practitioners for both gender in each cell, with a criteria of completion at least secondary school. They have undergone a training of 120 credits (900 hours), equivalent of four months for theory and two months of practice. After training they have been deployed into the community with a supervision of health centers in collaboration with hospitals and Rwanda Biomedical Center. Results: During the implementation period of 6 months, 1663 NCDs patients have been transferred from health facility (OPD) to HBCPs for routine follow-up, 482 palliative care patients have been reported on end of life care by HBCPs, there is a remarkable linkage between facilities and community care ensured by supervisory relationship between health services providers and home based care practitioners, long-term admission has reduced the cost for the family and the facility due to the discharge of care from hospital to home. Conclusion: In a limited setting of social and economic cost of providing frivolous care in an expensive hospital for chronic or terminal conditions that would be better managed through treatment or palliative care at home (or less acute setting) home based care effort can better meet the needs of Rwandans at the community level and has started to show the efficiency in providing quality care to people in need of palliative care.

Entre abril e julho de 1994, o mundo assistiu impassível ao extermínio de mais de 800.000 pessoas em Ruanda. Tal morticínio é considerado o terceiro maior ocorrido desde 1950, comparável apenas àqueles verificados no Cambodja e em Bangladesh, na década de 1970. Entretanto, no caso de Ruanda, há um dado assustador: por ocasião da matança, a população do país era de aproximadamente 7.500.000 habitantes, sendo 6.300.000 hutus, 1.100.000 tutsis e 100.000 pigmeus. Isto significa que cerca de 11% dos ruandeses e ¾ da população tutsi foram eliminados em apenas um trimestre. A comunidade internacional nada fez para evitar a matança. Pelo contrário: além de não intervir diretamente, a Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) reduziu drasticamente o contingente da força de paz que mantinha em Ruanda, a despeito das advertências do General Roméo Alain Dallaire, comandante das tropas da UNAMIR, de que a tragédia estava a caminho. Passado o estupor provocado pelo genocídio, restou o problema fundamental da reconstrução do país. A esse respeito, é preciso assinalar as precaríssimas condições econômicas da região, o que é agravado pelo estraçalhamento do tecido social durante a matança. Ademais, não podemos esquecer que, se em 1994, o mundo assistiu passivamente à dilaceração de Ruanda, agora poucos estão preocupados com as dificuldades de reconstrução de um lugar que não tem importância estratégica e não dispõe de grandes riquezas naturais.Os fatores que levaram ao genocídio em Ruanda e a inércia da comunidade internacional para impedir o massacre são os temas deste artigo. Between April and July 1994 the world seemed not affected by the extermination of more than 800.000 people in Rwanda. This is the third largest massacre since 1950 and can only be compared to those occurred in Cambodia and Bangladesh in the1970’s. But in the case of Rwanda there is something truly alarming: at the time of the genocide there were about 7.500.000 inhabitants in the country; 6.300.000 Hutus; 1.100.000 Tutsis; and 100.000 pigmies, what means that about 11% of Rwandans and ¾ of the Tutsi population were killed in a period of three months. The international community did nothing to avoid the massacre, and the United Nations (UN) even reduced its peacekeepers in Rwanda despite Roméo Alain Dallaire, the general commander of the UNAMIR troops in the country, having warned about the tragedy to come.In the aftermath of the world’s astonishment with the genocide the fundamental task is the problem of country’s reconstruction under very difficult economic conditions remained, now exacerbated by the social laceration it provoked. In addition, it cannot be forgotten that if in 1994 the world did nothing to avoid the massacre, nowadays there are still very few people worried about the reconstruction of a place poor in natural resources.The article analyses the conditions that conducted to Rwanda’s genocide and the inaction of the international community to avoid it.

The status of genocide in international law is well developed and forms part of customary international law and also treaty law. International tribunals such as the International Criminal Court and specialised chambers such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda have addressed and made a number of convictions regarding genocide. This relative success in the international criminal justice system regarding genocide has given the appearance that perpetrators responsible for genocide will be brought to justice. Yet, there is a fundamental crack in international criminal law with regard to genocide as a crime and how to bring perpetrators to justice. That crack, is essentially, the narrow scope and definition of genocide, and also how to demonstrate that perpetrators had the intention of committing genocide. I contend in this article that the scope of genocide should be extended to include economic genocide and argue that spillover intent of aiders and abettors of genocide requires more clear and coherent rules to include economic genocide as part of how the crime of genocide is assessed in international law. The article first presents and discusses the notion of genocide, taking into consideration the Genocide Convention (1948) and then discusses the status of Article 2(c) of the Convention to define economic genocide. The article then posits the calculated economic measures that affect the conditions of life of peoples involve intent and that intention has a spillover effect.

In this thesis the author undertook a poverty and policy analysis. It is argued that it is important to understand the nature, magnitude and context of poverty before one can undertake an informed policy prescription. Existing theories of poverty, welfare regimes and social policies offer a lot of useful lessons for policy, but have limitations in offering a single model for Rwanda. The thesis demonstrated that, not only is Rwandan poverty multifaceted and deep, but it is characterized by a poverty conflict trap that can be traced back to the entire post colonial period. The author argued however that the current policy is not only inefficient in targeting poverty, but it may be unable to meet the challenges of growth, redistribution and conflict mitigation. The thesis, after further analyzing policy options, puts forward a package that is needed to reduce poverty in Rwanda in the long term and to break the poverty conflict trap. The prescribed package is put forward as a comprehensive and institutionalized social policy, which Rwanda so far does not have.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009.
Tourism is regarded as the fastest growing industry in the world. Africa was identified at the World Investment Conference in Geneva (WAIPA, 2005) as one of the continents with a significant potential for developing tourism. Located in sub-Saharan Africa, Rwanda is a low income, landlocked and densely populated country in Africa. Tourism provides the best alternative for economic development to Rwanda which does not have mineral resources unlike most African countries. The development of tourism can contribute a lot to this country through reduction of the level of poverty, creation of job opportunities as well as contributing to the national income. However, the tourism industry in Rwanda is still in its early stages due to the 1994 war. Most of the parks re-opened in 1998/1999, and still concentrate on low volume of tourists. Until now Rwanda is not recognised among the known tourist destinations in Africa; it is believed to be a less developed place for tourists. This study presents barriers to tourism development in Rwanda as perceived by domestic and international tourists as well as workers in the tourism sector of Rwanda. The study was conducted in the four provinces of Rwanda and the capital city, Kigali. A quantitative design using two cross-sectional questionnaires was utilised to establish the opinions of the participants. A sample of 426 participants, including 68 international tourists, 182 domestic tourists as well as 176 workers in the tourism sector was selected to participate in the study.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nowadays, members of the global community from various arenas are committed to promoting social development and removing the obstacles of all kinds of social ills that have been undermining the quality of people's lives, such as: poverty, social conflicts, HIV/AIDS, injustice and violence. Is this feasible? If yes, how can we proceed to the full realisation of human development? This study made a close examination of the case of Rwanda, and compared it with that of South Africa, with which Rwanda shares various historical and psychosocial realities such as colonisation, and the need for reconciliation and reinforcement of communal solidarity in order to proceed with and hasten the development process. The orientation of the study is centred on the hypothetical question: "Why and how can social work be used as a means of addressing social problems and promoting social development in Rwanda?" The study, basically of a qualitative nature, constitutes both library and field-based research. Accordingly, the literature and the empirical investigation were used as key methods to realise the goals and objectives stated. In the empirical study, a triangulation of data gathering techniques, namely interviews, focus group discussions and direct observations, was given the primary emphasis. By this means, enriched information from both South Africa and Rwanda permitted various insights into crucial socio-economic challenges, social development agents, the preferred approaches for social development and the working conditions of social workers. The latter conditions were usually described as being very difficult and trying. Overall, the research findings show that: + There is a serious need for social development both in South Africa and Rwanda in order to respond to the legacies of their pasts - especially to the upheavals of apartheid and the genocide respectively (i.e. poverty, mistrust, social disintegration) - as well as to a range of other social ills such as HIV/AIDS, violence and unforeseen factors; + The developmental approach, well espoused by the South African government which chose to incorporate it in national policies, particularly in the White Paper for Social Welfare (1997), is the most suited to foster the attainment of social development; • Social work, using community work as the preferred method, is amongst the key professions at the forefront of the operationalisation of social development and hence, of the promotion of improved social welfare conditions; • Empowerment, particularly of vulnerable people, is a key to social change; • Social work, while moving towards a developmental approach - as developmental social work - needs to consolidate its position by contributing effectively to development instead of continuing to focus on individual cases Itherapies. • Introduction of social work training at the National University of Rwanda (NUR) is a positive omen for the stimulation of social development in the country; • There is a particular need to update the social work curriculum in Rwanda. Lastly, specific recommendations are given. The main recommendation is that efforts to conduct a comprehensive war against social problems be unified. In terms of social work, it is important that social work professionals be given more consideration and more stimulation. Conducive working conditions must be also created for them, especially at local level. Social workers, in tum, have to stand their ground, and work in good partnership with other professionals and social development agents for the good of all people, with special focus on the disadvantaged. For Rwanda in particular, it is recommended that a national welfare policy be set up urgently to strengthen social work education at university, and that, in the process, reference be made to experienced countries such as South Africa. In this regard, educators must ensure that new graduates will effectively become catalysts for social development. This requires a good fit of theory and practice during the training process. Above all, it is advisable for Rwanda to promote community work practice through the community development model.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sosiale ontwikkeling is 'n hedendaagse prioriteit by lede van die globale gemeenskap uit verskeie gebiede. Hulle streef daarna om die struikelblokke van verskeie sosiale wantoestande wat mense se lewensgehalte ondergrawe - bv. armoede, sosiale konflik, MIVNIGS, ongeregtigheid en geweld - te verwyder. Is so-iets haalbaar? Indien ja, hoe kan ons voortbeweeg na die volle verwesenlikking van menslike ontwikkeling? Rwanda en Suid-Afrika het albei te kampe met historiese en sosiaal-psigiese realiteite soos kolonialisme, 'n behoefte aan sosiale versoening en aan die versterking van gemeenskapsolidariteit ten einde sosiale ontwikkeling te bevorder en versnel. Hierdie studie sentreer om die vraag: "waarom en hoe kan sosiale probleme in Rwanda aangepak en sosiale ontwikkeling bevorder word deur middel van maatskaplike werk?" Hierdie basies kwalitatiewe studie is op beide bronnestudie en veldwerk gegrond. Gevolglik was die gebruik van beskikbare literatuur en empiriese navorsing die sleutelmetodes om bg. doelwitte te bereik. Wat betref die empiriese studie is 'n drievoudige tegniek gebruik, nl. onderhoude, fokusgroep-besprekings en direkte waarnemmg. Verrykte inligting uit beide Suid-Afrika en Rwanda het dit dus moontlik gemaak om verskeie insigte m.b.t. kemvraagstukke betreffende sosio-ekonomiese uitdagings, sosiale ontwikkelingsagente, gewenste benaderings tot sosiale ontwikkeling en die werksomstandighede van maatskaplike werkers - wat gewoonlik as erg moeilik en uitputtend beskryf word - te bereik. Oor die algemeen bewys die navorsingsresultate die volgende: • Beide Suid-Afrika en Rwanda ondervind 'n ernstige behoefte aan sosiale ontwikkeling om op die erfenis van hul verlede te reageer (veral die omwentelings van apartheid en volksmoord, respektiewelik) - d.w.s. armoede, wantroue en sosiale verbrokkeling, en daarby nog MIVNIGS, geweld en ander onvoorsiene faktore. • Die ontwikkelingsentriese benadering word duidelik geïllustreer deur die Suid- Afrikaanse regering, wat 'n nasionale beleid vanuit hierdie oogpunt aangepak het - soos veral spreek uit die Witskrif vir Sosiale Ontwikkeling ["White Paper for Social Development"] (1997). Hierdie is die mees gepaste benadering tot sosiale ontwikkeling. • Maatskaplike werk (veral d.m.v. gemeenskapsinisiatiewe) is een van die sleutelberoepe m.b.t. die operasionalisering van sosiale ontwikkeling en die gevolglike verbetering van sosiale welsynstoestande; • Bemagtiging, veral van kwesbare persone, is die sleutel tot sosiale transformasie; • Maatskaplike werk behoort, terwyl dit na 'n ontwikkelingsentriese benadering (d.m.v. maatskaplike ontwikkelingswerk) beweeg, breedweg tot sosiale ontwikkeling by te dra, eerder as om op individuele gevalle ofterapieë te fokus; • Die instelling van opleiding in maatskaplike werk by die Nasionale Universiteit van Rwanda (NUR) is 'n goeie teken wat dui op sosiale ontwikkeling van hierdie land; • Daar is veral 'n behoefte daaraan om die Rwandese kurrikulum vir maatskaplike werk te moderniseer. Laastens word spesifieke aanbevelings gemaak. Dit word veral aanbeveel dat verskillende pogings om sosiale wantoestande aan te pak, saamgesnoer moet word. In terme van maatskaplike werk is dit belangrik dat professionele maatskaplike werkers meer aandag en aanmoediging behoort te kry. Daar moet ook aandag gegee word aan hul werksomstandighede, veralop plaaslike vlak. Op hul beurt moet maatskaplike werkers hulleself laat geld, in samewerking met ander beroepslui en bydraers tot sosiale ontwikkeling - tot voordeel van alle burgers, en met 'n fokus op sosiaal-benadeelde persone. Vir Rwanda in die besonder word aanbeveel dat 'n nasionale welsynsbeleid dringend in werking gestel word om universiteitsopleiding in maatskaplike werk te verstewig, na die voorbeeld van lande soos Suid-Afrika wat ondervinding van so 'n proses het. In hierdie verband moet opvoeders verseker dat nuwe graduandi effektiewe katalisators van sosiale ontwikkeling sal wees. Om dit te bewerkstellig word goeie passing tussen teorie en praktyk benodig. Dit is veral raadsaam dat maatskaplike werk in die praktyk deur die gemeenskapsontwikkelingsmodel gerugsteun sal word.

This research looks at the process of women’s empowerment in post- 1994 Rwanda, with special focus on twelve cooperatives working in Mayaga region and the way these cooperatives empower women, their households and the community at large. Traditional Rwandan society has been always bound by patriarchy which has not valued the reproductive roles of women as economically productive in their households and the society as a whole. On the one hand, this understanding was reversed in the post-1994 Rwanda by the commitment of the government to gender equality at the highest level of political leadership through progressive policies and legislation. On the other hand, in Mayaga region, cooperatives brought about socio-economic development and changed relationships of gender and power in a patriarchal post-conflict society. The findings from cooperatives in Mayaga region show that to prevent women from reaching their full potential is economic folly. If women are empowered, they can generate important development outcomes such as improved health, education, income levels and conflict resolution. The findings further indicate how women’s empowerment is determined by the livelihood strategies women adopt themselves to respond to their vulnerability, and by the ways in which they express their agency in making a living in a sustainable way, with the available community assets that they have access to (financial, social, human, natural and physical). This research highlights that the accessibility of the community assets used by women in Mayaga region and in Rwanda as a whole is also determined by policies, institutions and processes that are able to influence their livelihoods positively.

Le travail explore et démontre le pourquoi de la persistance de la pauvreté des femmes en Afrique post-conflit. Le cas d'étude est celui des Femmes rwandaises chefs de ménages dans leurs tentatives d'accès au microcrédit, considéré jusqu'ici comme outil de réduction de la pauvreté. Les conséquences du génocide de 1994 au Rwanda a contraint beaucoup de femmes et de filles à se prendre en charge socialement et économiquement. Cependant dans une société toujours patrilinéaire, les obstacles sont nombreux. Malgré que le microcrédit existe, il ne dépasse pas non plus les inégalités de genre enracinées dans la culture rwandaise.
Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Three arguments are normally presented as rationale for the privatisation of state owned enterprises. The first relates to the problem of the financing of higher levels of public expenditure
the second is based on the viewpoint that private ownership is more efficient than public ownership
whilst the third claims that the losses of inefficient public enterprise are responsible for excessive budget deficits and other fiscal problems.

Although empirical evidence proves that privatisation enhances economic efficiency, it negatively affects the affordability of and access to essential services, which may have serous consequences for poorer households. This happens through increased prices of essential services, such as electricity and telecommunication, as well as through loss of employment opportunities during and after privatisation.

Many countries, also in Africa, implemented various types of privatisation programmes over the past two decades in order to decrease the relative size of governments and to improve efficient delivery of services. Towards the end the 1990&rsquo
s and after the tragic genocide, Rwanda&rsquo
s Government of National Unity also embarked on an ambitious restructuring programme of its state-owned enterprises.
The main purpose of this study was to assess the likely impact of privatisation on poor households in developing countries. The report presents a general overview of the literature, with a specific focus on Brazil, Argentina and South Africa. It investigates the experiences of these countries and derives lessons that can be learnt. Finally it assesses the possible impact of the privatisation of essential service delivery on poor households in Rwanda.

The main conclusion of the study is that governments should look beyond efficiency benefits of restructuring and focus on the overall opportunity cost of the privatisation of essential service delivery. The specific method of privatisation may determine the final social impact. The case studies also highlight the need for more research into the challenges facing the privatisation of essential service delivery. It is clear that any restructuring should be preceded by a thorough analysis of the likely impact on the poorer sections of the community.

The overall objective of the research was to evaluate the achievements of reconciliation process in Bugesera district after the Rwandan 1994 genocide. Bugesera district lost over 62,000 Tutsi during genocide, being the most hit in the country. Today, the survivors and perpetrators are living together in the same district. The study is aimed at evaluating the impact of reconciliation mechanisms in place and how these mechanisms can be enhanced to get better results. The research was conducted in Bugesera district and qualitative research methods were adopted where by thirty respondents were interviewed; ten from the survivors , ten from released perpetrators of genocide, five district officials, three from NGOs and two church leaders. The research was based on both primary and secondary data, but primary data was used mostly. Most of the key concepts used in the research were explained in the literature review. From the research, it was revealed that efforts are in place to reconcile the survivors and perpetrators but people are still suspicious of one another. That a gap between survivors and perpetrators still exists, irrespective of government and patterns' efforts in bringing them together. The research suggested a number of recommendations, which would enhance reconciliation in the district.
Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2008.

Rwanda, in its transition phase since 1994, has had the support of major international development organizations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Development Program, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and other development organizations. The aim of this support is to promote Rwandan agriculture in which 45 percent of the Rwandan GDP and 90 percent of employment share originate. The possible role that farmers can play in this process through their small-scale farmers' associations is well recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda. Farmers in Gikongoro province, the study area, are constrained by many factors, such as soil infertility, small land areas, and lack of access to modern inputs (e.g., seed, fertilizer and lime) and agricultural credit. In addition, land degradation in the form of soil erosion, soil acidity, and nutrient depletion undermines soil productivity leading to poor crop yields, and keeps farmers dependent on potential support from government and non-governmental projects. Between 2000 and 2004, farmers in Gikongoro province received support from the Development Activity Program (DAP) under the umbrella of World Vision International, Rwanda. The DAP supports farmers mainly in land terracing for soil erosion control, and supported farmers also receive modern inputs (fertilizer, seed and lime), storage facilities, and training. This study analyzes the impact of agricultural assistance afforded by the DAP and socioeconomic characteristics of households on agricultural production in Gikongoro province. Data for this study were collected from July to August 2004 using a stratified multistage sample of 204 household heads who are members of 24 farmers' associations of which 10 are supported by the DAP in the three districts; Mudasomwa, Kivu, and Nyamagabe. The study compares DAP supported and unsupported farmers in terms of differences in household incomes and crop yields. Descriptive statistics indicate that DAP supported farmers have significantly higher yields, household income, and better access to modern inputs and terraced land than unsupported farmers. These results seem to indicate that DAP support has had a significant impact on agricultural production and household incomes in Gikongoro province. However, these results are based only on a univariate analysis. The relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and household potato production in Gikongoro province was also analyzed to identify other factors that affect food production. A recursive system of linear and log-linear equations was estimated to analyze the effects of DAP, cultivated potato area, liquidity, gender of the household head (producer), years of schooling, family size, and age of the producer on farmers' productivity as measured by potato yields. Investment in operating inputs (fertilizer, seed, and lime) was used as a determinant of potato yields. Results indicate that cultivated potato area, liquidity, family size, and age (greater experience and lower transaction costs) of the household head significantly increase the use of operating inputs, which in turn has a significant positive impact on potato yield. The study suggests that DAP may need to be more selective in supporting farmers, focusing more on the farm size, education and family size profile of association members when deciding where to channel support. The study also recommends more research into the efficiency of land rental and credit markets to better understand land and liquidity constraints to improved household production in Gikongoro province. A networking model for supporting farmers' associations is proposed, in which a joint role for the Rwandan government, academic and research institutions, NGOs, and the private sector is expected to lead to sustainable agricultural development in Gikongoro province, Rwanda.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Scholarship on youth in Africa has mostly focused on unemployed young people, portraying them as a lost generation and exploring how states have failed them. Literature on young employed Africans has been conspicuously absent. This research portrays how a group of young professional Rwandans who define themselves as “diaspora” living in post-genocide Kigali, are redefining national belonging in economic terms. Many young professionals have moved from the diaspora to Rwanda because the state offers them a platform where they can find employment or start their own business: an entrepreneurial citizenship. The city of Kigali is experiencing physical and social transformation, and these young professionals are driving such change. The young people in this study see Rwanda as a place where they can belong by being cosmopolitan, and especially by becoming entrepreneurs. They feel that in Rwanda they are able to be global citizens more easily than in the Diaspora. This feeling of global citizenship is, ironically, what inspires in them a sense of national identity. This research explores the youth in the broader sense of economic activity and time and their sense of belonging in everyday life, in the capital city of Kigali.

This chapter contributes to the debate about ‘presidents for life’ in sub-Saharan Africa. Through an analysis of Paul Kagame’s leadership in Rwanda, it seeks to understand the legitimizing factors that could explain the resilience of personalized authoritarian regimes and the extent to which these factors undermine constitutionalism and democracy. The first part of the chapter examines the phenomena of personal rule and power legitimation in sub-Saharan Africa and how they were impacted on by colonial rule, independence, ‘democracy’s third wave’, and the more recent period of ‘democratic recession’. The second part appraises the case of Rwanda through the three prisms of history, power, and law. First, it is argued, the legitimacy of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) stems from the fact that it ended the genocide. Second, the RPF is seen as effecting a ‘miracle’ by transforming a devastated country into one where real socio-economic gains were made. Finally, the authoritarian tendencies which have minimized opposition to the regime are not openly contested, neither internally nor externally. With the emphasis on national unity, the RPF is portrayed as being a non-negotiable pre-condition for political stability and prosperity, thus condoning any democratic deficits.