This past weekend, Washington D.C. of the United States was a beehive of activity as thousands of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda descended on the US capital to attend the glamorous Rwanda Day.
Rwanda Day, which was held for the 11th time, is an event that brings together Rwandan communities abroad and national leaders from the political class, the private sector and civil society among others.
It is an opportunity for Rwandans in the diaspora to get to know what is happening back home and interface with the business community to know the available opportunities for them in the country.
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Over the years, these gatherings which were held in different cities across Europe and North America, have been crucial in helping these Rwandans who live in these countries for various reasons make informed decisions on how to engage with their motherland.
Others have been able to get their issues addressed there and then, while requests by others to come and serve their country have received immediate response, and always a positive one.
President Paul Kagame has attended all these gatherings, to underpin the importance the country attaches to these meetings, and most importantly, the value of nationals in the diaspora.
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This is the same message that the President carried to the diaspora community that gathered in Washington D.C, where he challenged them to pick keen interest in events back home and actively participate towards the development of the country.
World over, the contribution of diaspora communities is increasingly standing out. Not only do nationals abroad eventually repatriate the knowledge they acquire from those countries, they also contribute enormously to national economies through remittances in various forms.
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For instance, India, which is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world has remittances by nationals from across the world among the key economic drivers, according to statistics from WorldRemit.
Rwanda has also witnessed significant growth in remittances from her diaspora community. Over the past decade, the remittances from the Rwandan diaspora grew from just $65 million to over $440 million last year.
While there are no absolute figures to back this claim, it would not be far-fetched to assume that the spike in these remittances is linked to gatherings like Rwanda Day.