The New Year is here and with it comes a new decade. The past year has seen many changes, most of them positive. Many challenges were thrown towards the country’s direction, and against all odds, managed to meet them head-on.

The past decade has not been a lenient one, but it marked a point in time where it could be said Rwanda brought out the best of itself; economically, socially and security-wise.

Economically, this country is driving in a different lane than most of its contemporaries. Projections indicate that economic growth is bound to break the double-digit barrier, one of the few countries to do so.

Foreign direct investments poured in as it went into a multi-billion deal with Qatar, Mara Phones built its first mobile phone manufacturing plant in Africa and VW entered the scene, with not only an assembly plant, but it also unveiled the first electric vehicles on the continent.

But sometimes too much success breeds envy from former well-off relatives who have fallen on hard times or are trying to keep on their feet while standing on shaky ground.

In such cases, you do not rush to build a Trump-like wall to keep the unwanted away; you throw your gates wide open and share what is on the master’s table. That is what Rwanda did and its open visa policy for African nations is one of the factors that have seen tourism numbers soar.

Some other countries have also seen the light and have followed suit. That is the whole logic of integration; helping prop up each other, not putting a spoke in the wheels.