Veterinarians across the country have launched a saving scheme that could lead to the creation of Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) as a way of boosting their income.
"It is important to collaborate with partners to set up a saving scheme that brings together all veterinarians with aim to create SACCO. The members will be able to get cheaper loans and run income generating projects to improve their welfare,” said Dr. Marie Claire Tumusabe, The Deputy chairperson of Rwanda Veterinary council.
She said that the veterinarians will also use the loans to buy standard equipment and afford to boost service delivery to farmers.
"Under the support of Orora Wihaze (Raise Animals for Self-Sufficiency) project the veterinarians have also been provided with different tool kits to improve service delivery to farmers with standard treatment. This could be boosted by the saving scheme,” she added.
She said the leadership of the saving association was established two months ago adding that it could start operations soon.
"Each veterinarian will contribute Rwf100,000 share capital and then after each will be contributing Rwf5,000 minimum every month,” she said.
Fabrice Ndayisenga, Head of Animal Resource Research and Technology Transfer Department at Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) said that the saving scheme will also help the fresh graduates to get startup capital to be able to create jobs in improving veterinary services.
"When students graduate from university, they need startup toolkits. The saving scheme could help them afford such needed investment,” he said.
He said that considering that the country is focusing on small livestock to spur economic development and address food insecurity, well trained and financially sustainable veterinarians are in demand.
"The saving cooperative is quite needed to ensure financial sustainability through saving and acquiring cheap loans,” he said.
Veterinarians welcome the initiative
Noel Nkurunziza, a veterinarian from Burera district said that veterinarians usually face financial constraints which impedes affording necessary equipment to treat farmers’ livestock.
"With the saving and credit cooperative, a veterinarian could get a loan to buy such expensive equipment to help farmers. A veterinarian in need of starting an income generating project such as veterinary pharmacy can support from the saving cooperative to get loans at lower interest rates,” he noted.
Jeanne Tuyambaze, a veterinarian from Rutsiro District said that kits to treat domestic animals are expensive adding saving and loan cooperative is timely to ensure affordability.
"The saving and loan cooperative should also finance veterinarians’ agriculture and livestock projects to serve as models for other farmers,” she said.
Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) has said that they are building an enabling environment that will see all veterinary services put under private operators.
Ndayisenga, said that there are huge opportunities for veterinary doctors considering that livestock population has been growing and that there is need for enough and quality production from it.
Statistics show that goats increased to 2,844,001 in 2020 up from 1,891,612 from 1992 while the population of pigs grew five-fold; from 244,980 pigs in 1992 to 1,441,077 pigs in 2020.
Rwanda’s chicken population increased by 9 per cent per year, from 3.5 million in 2010 to over 7.6 million.
The number of cows rose steadily from 813,417 in 1992 to 1,449,888 in 2020.
Currently the veterinary council has registered 4,000 veterinary doctors.
According to officials Orora Wihaze (The Orora Wihaze (Raise Animals for Self-Sufficiency) project, is also supporting private veterinarians in eight districts across the country to afford equipment cost to be able to improve service delivery to farmers.
The eight districts include Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Ngoma, Ngororero, Rutsiro, Kayonza, Burera and Gakenke.