Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente on Friday recognised four districts for exemplary work in some areas as he officiated at the national celebration of Umuganura in Southern Province’s Nyanza District.
Umuganura or the National Harvest Day that is rooted in the Rwandan tradition to appreciate the year’s achievements.
It is celebrated in Rwanda every first Friday of the month of August and it is a public holiday where citizens meet in their communities to celebrate their achievements and make resolutions for the next year.
As he officiated at the ceremony in Nyanza, the premier recognised four districts for being the best performers this traditional year in four selected areas; with Nyagatare being the best district in agriculture, Rubavu was the best in trade, Gasabo was the best in industry, while Rwamagana got the award for service delivery.
"Umuganura is a time to celebrate but also to look back and check how we performed to know where to improve for a brighter future,” the premier said.
Representatives of four districts recognized for exemplary work in different categories at the national celebration of Umuganura in Southern Province’s Nyanza District. Emmanuel Kwizera.
He noted that Rwandans have achieved a lot in the past year that is worth celebrating, including in the critical areas of agriculture where efforts were made to increase production, in energy where more people were connected to electricity, and in healthcare where services have been improved.
In agriculture, Ngirente noted that harvest increased mainly due to the land consolidation policy, especially the land used for growing various crops including maize, potatoes, rice, and cassava among others.
A commendable step in seed multiplication from within the country was also achieved, the premier said, which is in line with aims to sufficiently provide farmers with seed on affordable prices.
In trade and industries, he said that farmers were trained in estimating prices by considering their investment, inputs and output so they can sell their produce on reasonable prices.
In the area of trade, the premier noted that many efforts were made to reduce non-tariff barriers by easing the movement of goods, promoting the Made-in-Rwanda policy, and building various industrial parks and special economic zones across the country.
The Prime Minister urged Rwandans, especially the youth, to keep up the hard work in order to develop themselves and their country.
"I would like to request you to value labour and be courageous. Especially, I recommend the youth, the hope and the future of our country, to get to work for it will make them prosper,” he said.
He urged them to always use the opportunities offered by the country, such as vocational trainings, capital grants through BDF (Business Development Fund), and more state offered help, in order to create their own jobs.
At the event in Nyanza, three struggling families were also given cows as a government-provided seed capital so they can raise the cows and improve their lives.
The National Harvest Day was this year celebrated under the theme of "Umuganura as a source of unity and a foundation for self-reliance”.
Across the country, the ceremony was also held at the village level where residents came together to celebrate it by sharing staple food and drinks as they also drew up plans for the next ‘traditional year’.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com