Rwanda

Canada's Commitment
Results
Country Profile

Canada's Commitment

Over the years, Canada has helped the people of Rwanda to improve the quality of life for the poor; promote equality between women and men; rebuild infrastructure; and restore the systems of justice, higher education, technical and vocational training, and governance.

Canada has been active in Rwanda since 1963.

In May 2005, CIDA approved a new Country Development Programming Framework (2005-2011) for Rwanda. In accordance with the Government of Rwanda's established priorities, CIDA plans to focus its support on rural development, specifically rural development and local governance.

The key objectives of this framework are:

• to diversify the rural economy;
• to augment agricultural production and productivity; and
• to build the capacities of local governments and rural associations to develop and implement concrete local development plans.

In 2004-05, as part of its Debt Relief Initiative, Canada cancelled Rwanda's bilateral debt of $3.2 million. Through its regional programming and its cooperation with multinational organizations, CIDA is also working with Rwanda to promote peace and security in the Great Lakes region.

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Results

Here is a sampling of Rwanda Program results:

• Rural women and men have increasingly been empowered economically. Women have been more and more involved in decision-making in local government, rural organizations, and communities.
• A legal and regulatory framework for microfinance was developed, as were tools for supervising microfinance institutions. These have helped the National Bank of Rwanda to be more effective and autonomous in regulating the sector. A new institution has also been established, providing professional financial services to more than 30,000 micro-entrepreneurs and small business people, both women and men.
• The justice system has improved its handling of human and material resources management, as well as case management, by installing information management systems and providing associated training. Justice is administered more efficiently, productively, and transparently, thanks to improvements in the information management system, equipment, and infrastructure. Service to the public has improved, as a result of training in gender equality and client service.

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Country Profile

Rwanda, known as 'the land of a thousand hills', is a small country in Central Africa and one of the world's most densely populated nations. Rwanda has experienced a series of civil and ethnic conflicts since the late 1950s. In 1994, these conflicts culminated in genocide, leaving one million Rwandans dead and displacing half of the country's population.

Since this difficult period, the Government of Rwanda has sought to rebuild the country by improving its governance. The Government has focused on decentralizing authority to local governments, which are central to the Government's efforts to restore Rwanda's social and physical capital.

Rwanda: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper focuses on poverty reduction and the country's sustainable economic development. Approved in 2007, this strategy outlines the Government's priorities that, in brief, pursue four key objectives:

• increase economic growth;
• reduce population growth;
• combat extreme poverty; and
• ensure more effective poverty reduction.

The Government of Rwanda relies on the cooperation of its technical and financial partners to achieve these objectives. This cooperation may take various forms, including budget support or initiatives as part of program-based approaches. All of these forms of cooperation are designed to strengthen aid effectiveness.

Rwanda is still a very poor country. However, it is increasingly aware of the role it plays internationally. It has improved its relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Rwanda is a key stakeholder in the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. Rwanda was one of the first countries to undergo a peer review of its governance and institutions under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

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PDF Format

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Rwanda: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper - Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2008-2002) (PDF - 1.5 MB, 185 pages)