Kigali, 13 September 2013
President Kagame has called on Rwandans to be bold and not be afraid as long as they know whatever they are doing is good for them. President Kagame said this today while launching the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy, EDPRS 2 and Imihigo at Parliament. The event brought together top leaders of the country from both Central and Local government, as well as invited guests from the international community, members of the Diplomatic corps, development partners, private sector, academia and representatives from local communities.
President Kagame emphasized that the impact of EDPRS 2 must be felt by every Rwanda and that every franc invested by public treasury and private sector should earn more in terms of impact on people’s livelihoods:
“EDPRS 1 has given us confidence to believe that we can achieve the goals we set as a nation. people used to talking about reducing poverty as if there should be some remaining…we aim to eradicate poverty entirely. Efforts of every Rwandan led to one million lifted out of extreme poverty and average GDP growth of 8%. In our context, socio-economic transformation must be understood as it relates to community, family and individual levels. Achieving EDPRS2 means putting more emphasis on self reliance and increasing productivity at every level.”
President Kagame pointed out that for EDPRS 2 to succeed, there had to be improvement in how people work together, not only at government level but also in business and communities.
“We must be prepared to double our productivity and to take responsibility for our own development. We have to change our attitudes to work, reduce time it takes from conception of an idea to its implementation. We must be prepared to double our productivity and to take responsibility for our own development. If we work together towards a common goal, we are capable of transforming our nation and making poverty history. Imihigo is a solution originating from our culture and that we have chosen to implement for the benefit of every Rwandan.”
The UN Resident Coordinator, Lamin Manneh said he had been inspired by Rwanda’s proactive, dynamic and innovative approach to economic transformation:
“Anybody who is familiar with Rwanda’s determination will have no doubt that Rwanda will surmount all its challenges. Rwanda will be among the few African countries that will attain MDG goals by 2015.”
The Minister of Finance, Claver Gatete said President Kagame’s vision has unlocked the ability of Rwandans to aspire, to dream and to achieve their potential:
“Our vision is to become a middle income country where economic development is inclusive and sustainable and it is derived from consultations with Rwandans from all walks of life.”
The event was also marked by the signing of the central and local government performance contracts that will set out to implement the first year of the EDPRS II targets. At the same event, outstanding performers drawn from the 2012-13 Performance Contracts signed during the final year of EDPRS 1 were recognized and awarded. The Districts of Kamonyi, Karongi and Kicukiro emerged as the best performers.