In 2024, Rwanda will turn 30 years of age, marking a significant milestone for the country. This year will also be marked by key presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as other notable events.
It is a year many Rwandans hope to build on and consolidate what was achieved in 2023, as the country looks to continue its economic recovery from the after-effects of global crises that followed the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regardless of the difficulties Rwandans encountered along the way, including inflation, which led to an increase in food and commodity prices, many Rwandans in different sectors of the economy and fields have entered 2024 with hope and expectations.
As the year begins, many Rwandans are optimistic that 2024 will be a good year to continue the recovery path and consolidate the gains of the past three decades.
The New Times interviewed various individuals from different sectors to learn about their expectations for 2024, and most believe it will be a defining year in many aspects.
Take Francine Mujawayezu for example, a trader in Kimironko market, who is looking to expand her food and grocery business threefold before the end of the year.
"2023 was a better year compared to 2022 and 2021. My business fully recovered, I was able to open a stall here in the same market for my son and a shop for my daughter,” says the 48-year-old mother of five, who dropped out of school early to get married at the age of 18.
Mujawayezu is optimistic that her business will continue to grow.
"We know that there will be many attempts to distract us from this journey but we will not allow that. We will focus on sustaining and consolidating what we have achieved without paying much attention to detractors,” she said.
Florence Sangwa Sifa, a youth agripreneur, said that 2024 is the year she hopes to grow as a young person in agriculture and also as an agri-influencer. A passionate agriculturist, Sangwa is one of the many young people aspiring to be a catalyst for change by influencing the youth to join the agriculture sector.
"Through my role, I aim to inspire fellow youth, share insights, promote collaboration, and foster a positive image of agriculture. My team of Ag Influencers and I plan to organise more events using #Huzatweeps #AgInfluencers.
"Through these gatherings, we aim to discuss various agricultural topics that will empower individuals and result in meaningful transformations. As an agriculturist, I am committed to implementing practices that enhance productivity and uplift local communities,” said the Rwanda Institute of Conservation Agriculture (RICA) graduate.
Additionally, she will share with fellow farmers the best practices that will help them generate profits from their farms.
"Overall, this year, I aspire to be a driving force in agriculture development, actively participating and contributing to the growth and advancement of this crucial sector.
"Reflecting on 2023, it was a year of positive achievements in the Rwandan agriculture sector. Looking forward to 2024, I expect to see more investors choosing Rwanda for agriculture, as they did in the past years,” Sangwa noted, emphasising that 2024 will be a year of impactful change, sustainable progress, and collective efforts in shaping a brighter future for agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Ildephonse Musafiri, has one priority: "The battle for the country’s food security through increased productivity of major crops and the private sector (including youth) involvement in agriculture.”
Regarding expectations, Musafiri hopes for stable food prices in 2024 and more agricultural jobs for the youth.
A year of milestones
The year 2024 is also pivotal in the sense that it will have many milestones, among them, being that it will mark exactly three decades after RPF-Inkotanyi stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and liberated the country.
Patience Mutesi Gatera, Managing Director of BPR Bank Rwanda PLC, said 2024 is a very important year for Rwanda for many reasons.
"We will hold our presidential and parliamentary elections and commemorate for the 30th time the Genocide against the Tutsi and celebrate the 30th anniversary of our country’s liberation.
"Economically, Rwanda demonstrated resilience in 2023 amidst global shocks, geopolitical risks, and high inflationary pressures. The financial sector grew significantly in the year,” Mutesi told The New Times.
She hopes the momentum can be sustained throughout 2024 to create more jobs for young people and improve the lives of Rwandans.
"I expect that this growth will continue in 2024. Government investment in agriculture, services, and industry will continue to pay off in 2024 and we expect to see healthy growth in all sectors.
"We also expect that there will be continued pressure for jobs for our young people as universities churn out new graduates and so does the private sector,” she added.
Lina Higiro Mukashyaka, the CEO of NCBA Rwanda, says 2024 is a year for more ideas driven by technology, to improve service delivery.
"Priorities for 2024 to outcompete with technology. The digital era is in its middle age, fundamentally rewriting organizational structures for AI Transformation needs to kick off.”
"With a caution to provide capital buffers for Geopolitical disruptions globally and regional; while focusing on positive returns to Grow where we know,” Mukashyaka says.
Jean-Bosco Nyemazi, Mayor of Kayonza District, told The New Times that their New Year resolutions and priorities for 2024 for the Eastern Province-based district include enhancing quality service delivery to the community and to all service seekers.
The district is also looking to refocus efforts on the ongoing implementation of transformative projects that respond to climate challenges such as KIIWP- Kayonza Integrated Irrigation Watershed Management Project and other projects that are meant to de-risk agriculture.
"We are also looking to reinvigorate cooperative strengthening and development initiatives for socioeconomic transformation because many of our community members belong to cooperatives.
"We also want to boost food security and livestock production and productivity with a special focus on post-harvest handling and value addition,” Nyemazi said, adding that they will concentrate on deepening community participation in all processes and addressing citizen complaints as much as possible as they play their active role in ‘Imihigo’ that transforms their socioeconomic wellbeing.
Nyemazi admits that 2024 will require him and his colleagues to double their efforts to implement District Development Strategies which are aligned with the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) which is expected to be completed soon.
"We will therefore do all it necessitates to complete unfinished projects,” Nyemazi said, adding that among other things the district looks to lure more investors this year.
Ensuring security
ACP Boniface Rutikanga, Spokesperson of Rwanda National Police (RNP), said that 2024 is a very important year for the force with many tasks ahead, including ensuring that the 2024 general elections happen in a safe and secure environment.
"Police is prepared to secure the general elections. That is key and the priority for us in 2024,” he said, adding that they are also looking to engage youthful volunteers and community policing committees.
Rutikanga suggests that community policing serves as force multipliers or auxiliary police, enabling citizens to take responsibility for their security and participate in maintaining law and order.
He said they hope to work more with citizens this year, especially towards and during the elections, where citizens will be at the forefront of securing not just the election but the country at large.
He pointed out that through community policing programmes, crime is kept at bay and communities thrive in harmony. Among other targets, he said RNP is working to establish more driving test centres across the country to ease the process of acquiring driving licenses.
Among other things, Rutikanga said the focus will be put more on the ‘Gerayo Amahoro’ campaign, particularly reaching rural parts of the country, to the people, to ensure that Rwandans continue to be safe on the roads.
"We expect to create more awareness in the form of preventing accidents. We want the message to reach as far as possible so that Rwandans and visitors feel safe on our roads,” Rutikanga said.
He also pointed out that RNP will focus on continuing its contribution towards peacekeeping efforts across the globe, whenever they are called upon, whether it is through the United Nations or bilateral arrangements between countries.
"We will continue deploying and training for peacekeeping missions, both at the United Nations level and bilateral peacekeeping arrangements, as we have done with countries like Mozambique,” he said.
He also said that RNP will continue to offer professional policing training when called upon by different countries, given the force’s outstanding training pedigree, which is now sought after by other countries.
Possibilities
Dr Thomas Muyombo, commonly known by his stage name, Tom Close, who is also the Director of the Regional Centre for Blood Transfusion (RCBT-Kigali), is eyeing a more successful year in his fields of arts and medicine.
"As we head into the New Year, I am optimistic as an artiste that 2024 will be a good year not only for me but for the whole industry. I’m planning to release more songs and hope to produce my first movie titled ‘Imuhira’.
"About medical work, I am looking forward to continuing serving my country and ensuring that every patient in need of blood is attended to accordingly. I’m looking forward to a very busy 2024 and hopeful that it will be better than 2023 and all years before it,” Tom Close told The New Times.
Jean Felix Nsengiyumva, a taxi driver, hopes that 2024 will be an easy year for him and others, especially regarding fuel prices, which he hopes will continue to decline.
"Last month we saw the government reducing the price of fuel, we hope it can continue to go down,” Nsengiyumva said, adding that he entered 2024 with more optimism than any other year.