No turning back on Rwanda turning around her economy

Human occupation of Rwanda is thought to have begun shortly after the last Ice age. By the 16th century, the inhabitants had organized into a number of kingdoms. In the 19th century, Mwami (King) Rwabugiri of the Kingdom of Rwanda conducted a decades-long process of military conquest and administrative consolidation that resulted in the kingdom coming to control most of what is now Rwanda.

Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of Rwanda is at high elevation, with a geography dominated by mountains in the west, savanna in the east, and numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons every year. The population is young and predominantly rural, with a density among the highest in Africa. Rwandans form three groups: the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The Twa are a forest-dwelling pygmy people who descend from Rwanda's earliest inhabitants, but scholars disagree on the origins of and differences between the Hutu and Tutsi; some believe that they are derived from former social castes, while others view them as being races or tribes. Christianity is the largest religion in the country, and the principal language is Kinyarwanda, which is spoken by most Rwandans. Rwanda has a presidential system of government. The president is Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, who took office in 2000. Rwanda has low corruption compared with neighboring countries, but human rights organizations allege suppression of opposition groups, intimidation, and restrictions on freedom of speech. The country has been governed by a strict administrative hierarchy since precolonial times; there are five provinces, which are delineated by borders drawn in 2006.

Rwanda is the fastest growing economy. If you look backward during the genocide era and now there is a big gap. According to Mr. Washington Dube, an academic and pastor believes, "Rwanda is the China of Africa and African countries should follow the footsteps of Rwanda if they want to develop their economies." No turning back on Rwanda, the Rwandan government and a UK based company, OneWeb, launched the first-ever satellite that will connect remote schools to the internet. According to the Rwandan government, the global satellite shows its commitment to building the local space industry and local capacity, as well as, preparing the country into a hyper-connected future. The first school to benefit from the broadband satellite is Group Secondary St Pierre, a school located in Nkombo Island. Rwanda is putting its money where its mouth is, and betting big on Africa. By April 2019, Rwanda will, once again, be at the very forefront of Africa's digital revolution. The government of Rwanda is set to open a factory to produce smartphones with the aim of enhancing digital services. Paula Ingabire, the Minister for ICT and Innovation confirmed the reports and said the government is in negotiations with Mara Corporations, a Pan-African technology company, to establish the plant.

"Smartphones are important ICT tools since there are some digital services that only require smartphones such as access to land services among others. There is also need to ensure the affordability of smartphones whose high cost prevents citizens from benefiting from various digital services. We hope that the plant to locally produce smartphones will boost access," said Ingabire.

"Once the factory starts producing smartphones, people will be paying in installments over a period of 24 months. We also have to work with telecommunication companies to seek ways of reducing prices on internet use, which will boost ICT penetration and digital services," Ingabire added.

The issue of determination, perseverance, and unity has made Rwanda where it is today. They see the generations to come not their own pockets. Life is about the legacy you will build now as legacy doesn't die but even in the coming generations, it will be speaking for you. Rwanda is where it is now because they are walking the walk. Implementation is the key to development.

Enos Denhere is a Freelance Journalist and Entrepreneur based in Zimbabwe. He is interested to work with multinational companies, investors, funders of startups and entrepreneurs to explore business in Zimbabwe and Africa. He welcomes opportunities in freelancing journalism. Email enosdenhere@gmail.com Call /app +263773894975