When the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) forces defeated the genocidal regime and took the capital Kigali 28 years ago, it embarked on an unenviable task to rebuild a country driven to the brink by the genocidaires and setting it on the path of transformation and sustainable development.
Today, Rwanda stands tall in the community of nations.
From becoming the first country in the world with a female-majority parliament and a world leader in plastic reduction, to becoming one of the world’s largest contributors of troop and police peacekeepers and among the least corrupt nations in Africa and one of the most business friendly economies on the continent, Rwanda has defied the odds to become a beacon of hope.
Across different socioeconomic indicators, the country is unrecognisable only 28 years later.
For instance, life expectancy jumped to 69.38 years from only 26 in 1994, while the proportion of the population living in extreme poverty reduced to around 16 per cent down from 35.8 per cent in the 2000s.
The proportion of children dying before their fifth birthday has since more than halved, while a homegrown universal community-based health insurance scheme has helped increase access to health services to 88 per cent, from just 7 per cent in 2003.
In education, at least 97% of children attend primary school, one of the highest rates in Africa, while internet penetration has increased to nearly 60 per cent, up from 7.9 per cent in 2010.
In terms of social harmony, Rwandans are more united today than ever, with the homegrown restorative Gacaca justice system playing a key part in the reconciliation effort while the government promotes inclusive policies that leave no one behind.
Indeed, as the country marks the 28th Liberation Day today, July 4, the government will be inaugurating dozens of pro-people schemes, including four model villages in three districts, that include furnished self-contained housing units for the vulnerable, as well as another 32 villages for Genocide survivors across the country.
The projects, worth a combined Rwf191 billion, were undertaken by the Rwanda Defence Force and their partners over the last fiscal year, keeping with a trend that started about five years ago – to mark Liberation Day with impact projects that directly change the lives of people.
That is the essence of liberation. True liberation goes beyond putting an end to decades of abusive regimes and giving everyone equal rights. It encompasses constant improvement in the quality of life for everyone and eventually the country’s prosperity and economic independence.
It is that broad vision that will allow for genuine self-determination, and it puts meaning to this year’s liberation theme, ‘Together, We Prosper’.
With this approach, we can only keep going full steam ahead.
The New Times wishes our readers, partners and Rwandans in general a Happy Liberation Day!