Leaders from both public and private sector, civil society and members of the general public from within and out of the country are meeting in Kigali for the annual National Umushyikirano Council with a view to entrench the culture of participatory governance. Presided over by the President of the Republic, the meeting which takes place annually, is provided for in the constitution under article 168 as a forum where participants debate issues relating to the state of the nation, the state of local government and national unity. However, the gathering has not convened since 2019, owing to measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The implication is that there is plenty to catch up on. This is a platform that many Rwandans always look forward to not only get apprised on the different development programmes of the country, but also get an opportunity to ask questions or seek clarity on pressing matters affecting their communities. The organisation of this dialogue gets better by the year. For instance, for this year, even more sites have been opened in all corners of the country where thousands are gathered and actively participating in the meeting. Another site has also been set up specifically for Rwandans living in the diaspora. Even more Rwandans are listening in through different online platforms are able to participate using different social media platforms. On day one, participants took time to reflect on the different milestones and challenges over the past three years and the main highlight of the day was the release of the figures from the national population census that was conducted last year. Day two will even be more crucial because participants are expected to come up with resolutions to be implemented over the next one year and which bring the country to the tail end of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), a seven-year programme spanning between 2017 and 2024. Hopes are therefore high as Rwandans look for concrete resolutions to challenges in key sectors including education, trade, infrastructure, agriculture and most especially, strategies to tame the soaring commodity prices.
