Vision 2050 (Rwanda) Explained

Vision 2050 is the Rwandan national development strategy, launched in December 2020 by President Paul Kagame and the country's Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN).[1]

The programme, which follows the previous Vision 2020 20-year development plan which rebuilt Rwanda after years of Civil War and Genocide, aims to transform Rwanda into an Upper-Middle Income Country by 2035, and into a High-Income Country by 2050. Introducing the strategy, Kagame announced: "Vision 2020 was about what we had to do in order to survive and regain our dignity. But Vision 2050 has to be about the future we choose, because we can, and because we deserve it."

Background

The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) came to power in Rwanda after defeating the incumbent government in the Rwandan Civil War. The RPF's victory ended the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, known in Rwanda as the Genocide Against the Tutsi, during which 800,000-1,200,000 Rwandans lost their lives. In the late 1990s, president Paul Kagame and his government began actively planning methods to achieve national development. He launched a national consultation process and also sought the advice of experts from emerging nations including China, Singapore and Thailand. Following these consultations, and shortly after assuming the presidency, Kagame launched Vision 2020. The major purposes of the programme were to unite the Rwandan people and to transform Rwanda from a highly impoverished into a middle income country.

The Vision 2020 programme was mostly successful. A mid-term review in 2012 found that 26% of Vision 2020's original indicators had already been achieved.[2] While also highlighting key areas for improvement, the review made several upward revisions, including revising the GDP per capita target from $900 to $1,240.[3] No comprehensive official evaluation was made of the programme following its completion, but notable successes in healthcare, social care, education, governance, and economic growth were observed. Despite this, the strategy fell short of completing some of its ambitious targets, such as achieving Lower Middle Income status.[4]

Overview

Vision 2050's overarching goals were set out as follows:

1. Economic Growth and Prosperity

Rwanda aspires to become an upper-middle income country (UMIC) by 2035, and a highincome country (HIC) by 2050.

Specifically, this means realizing the following key economic targets:

2. High Quality and Standards of Life for Rwandans

References

  1. Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN). Republic of Rwanda. December 2020. Vision 2050. Republic of Rwanda.
  2. Republic of Rwanda. 2012. Vision 2020 (Revised 2012). Republic of Rwanda.
  3. Nimusima. Pereez. etal. 2018. An Evaluation of Rwanda's Vision 2020 Achievements. Jönköping University. Sweden . East Africa Research Papers in Economics and Finance. 17.
  4. Uwizeyimana. Dominique Emmanuel. January 2019. Progress made towards achieving Rwanda's Vision 2020 key indicators' targets. International Journal of Management Practice. 12. 1. 4. 10.1504/IJMP.2019.096676. 239154295.

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