With only five years left to 2015, the deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the focus is now on what developing countries intend to do to beat the deadline. It is worth noting that the Ministry of Agriculture’s larger agenda of ensuring food security has enabled Rwanda to eliminate hunger from its population, thereby putting the country on track to achieve the goals. Home-grown and implemented since 2007, MINAGRI’s strategy has already registered remarkable progress across the country. Initiatives such as land consolidation, terracing, irrigation and the One Cow per Family programme have enabled the living standard of Rwandans to improve tremendously. Other sectors have also experienced progress. Programs in the health and education sectors have contributed to the well-being of the Rwandan people. More than 90 per cent of Rwandans now have medical insurance, and fewer citizens than ever before are dying from preventable diseases. The nine-year basic education and universal primary education have enabled Rwandan children to access education for free. With a determined leadership and clear vision of where Rwandans want their country to be, there is no doubt that Rwanda shall achieve the MDGs on, if not, ahead of schedule. Ends
