EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) provides a medium term framework for achieving the country’s long term development aspirations as embodied in Rwanda Vision 2020, the seven year Government of Rwanda (GoR) programme, and the Millennium Development Goals.
The strategy builds on strong achievements in human capital development and promotes three flagship programmes. These flagships serve as a means to prioritise actions by the GoR, mobilise resources for development and improve policy implementation through more co-ordinated
interventions across sectors.
Today, Rwanda finds itself at a crossroads, moving from the humanitarian assistance phase associated with the 1994 genocide into one of sustainable development. Since 1994, the Government of Rwanda has stabilised the political situation, whilst putting the economy back on track with considerable assistance from development partners. However, the challenges remain daunting.
The first flagship, Sustainable Growth for Jobs and Exports, will be driven by an ambitious, high quality public investment programme aimed at systematically reducing the operational costs of business, increasing the capacity to innovate, and widening and strengthening the Financial Sec-
tor. This means heavy investment in “hard infrastructure” by the GoR to create strong incentives for the Private Sector to increase its investment rate in subsequent years. The second flagship, Vision 2020 Umurenge, will accelerate the rate of poverty reduction by promoting pro-poor components of the national growth agenda. This will be achieved by releasing the productive
capacity of the poor in rural areas through a combination of public works, promotion of cooperatives, credit packages and direct support. Finally, the third flagship, governance provides an anchor for pro-poor growth by building on Rwanda’s reputation as a country with a low incidence
of corruption and a regional comparative advantage in “soft infrastructure”.
In order to implement the EDPRS strategy, the sectoral allocation of public expenditure will be distributed to maintain momentum in the social sectors – education, health and water and sanitation – while also targeting agriculture, transport and Information and Communication Technology ICT, energy, housing and urban development, good governance and rule of law, proper land use management and environmental protection.
In agriculture, the main programmes include the intensification of sustainable production systems in crop cultivation and animal husbandry; building the technical and organisational capacity of farmers; promoting commodity chains and agribusiness, and strengthening the institutional
framework of the sector at central and local level.
At all times, these will be affected by a number of cross-cutting issues including, gender equality and sustainable environmental and natural resource management , and ICT;
Vision 2020 is to be achieved in a spirit of social cohesion and equity, underpinned by a capable state. Rwanda’s ongoing development will have, at its core, the Nation’s principal asset - its people.
EDPRS Full Version:
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