Author: Wycliffe Nyamasege

According to the ministry, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, will be observed as Independence Day, while Friday, July 4, 2025, will mark Liberation Day. In addition to the national holidays, the government has granted public holidays on Wednesday, July 2, and Thursday, July 3, 2025, creating a long holiday break for citizens.

Independence Day commemorates Rwanda’s achievement of sovereignty from colonial rule on July 1, 1962, marking the birth of the nation as an independent state. Liberation Day, on the other hand, celebrates the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the country’s subsequent liberation by the Rwandan Patriotic Army, symbolising national unity, recovery, and hope for a peaceful future.

Official government work will resume on Monday, July 7, 2025, following the extended break. The Ministry also emphasised that essential services will remain operational during this period.

“Essential services will remain open to ensure continuity of operations,” the statement issued on Friday, June 20, reads in part.

As the nation prepares to celebrate these important national holidays, the Ministry of Public Service and Labour urged all Rwandans to observe the holidays “responsibly and safely”.

The extended break provides an opportunity for families and communities to come together and reflect on Rwanda’s progress and achievements as the country marks its independence and liberation.

Prime Minister Dr Edouard Ngirente announced the plan on June 19, 2025, during an address to a joint session of Parliament, where he outlined the Government’s progress in improving the welfare of Rwandans.

In the education sector, the Prime Minister noted that more than 22,000 new classrooms have been constructed in under a year, along with a significant increase in the number of teachers across all levels of schooling.

Dr Ngirente was responding to a question about what the government is doing to address the issue of teachers who lack sufficient proficiency in English, the language of instruction.

He explained that the issue is being tackled through teacher training programmes where Zimbabwean educators have been brought in to train future Rwandan teachers. He also revealed plans to recruit more.

“You may recall that we brought in teachers from Zimbabwe, and we are currently planning to bring in even more,” he said.

It is expected that around 150 teachers will be brought in during this phase, adding to the 154 already in the country.

“The majority of those we brought in are English teachers working in Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), to ensure that future educators are well-versed in English. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in TTCs—providing them with the necessary facilities and resources. Even during school construction, TTCs were given priority so they could be adequately equipped. These Zimbabwean teachers will help ensure that graduates are capable of teaching in English, even at the primary school level,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that the current number of TTCs, which stands at only 16 nationwide, is insufficient to meet the country’s teacher training needs.

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Dr Ngirente also announced that current teachers will be required to undergo two years of English language training, after which they must take a proficiency test. Those who pass will retain their positions, while those who fail will be replaced.

“TTCs cannot produce enough graduates to fill all teaching positions across the country. Therefore, we will gradually replace existing teachers as more English-proficient graduates come out of TTCs.”

He added, “Current teachers will have two years to learn English while still teaching. After that, they’ll take an exam—those who pass will remain, and those who fail will leave the profession. The programme lasts three years, with two years focused on learning while they work. Failing to teach in English effectively means failing to qualify as a teacher.”

A 2018 World Bank report highlighted the urgent need for English language training among teachers, revealing that only 38% of teachers from Primary 1 to 3 had sufficient English proficiency.

A document released by the Ministry of Education on February 26, 2024, indicated that only 4% of current teachers possess intermediate to advanced English skills, even though English is the official language of instruction.

Rwanda adopted English as the medium of instruction in 2008, replacing French. In 2011, the policy stipulated that English would be introduced from Primary 4 onwards, with the first three years taught in Kinyarwanda. However, this was revised in 2019, and English is now used as the language of instruction starting from Primary 1.

Government projections show that Rwanda’s economy is expected to grow by 7.1% in 2025, 7.5% in 2026, 7.4% in 2027, and 7% in 2028.

Presenting a report on the Government’s achievements in improving citizens’ welfare before both chambers of Parliament on June 19, 2025, Dr. Ngirente emphasised that this sustained economic growth has been inclusive.

“Some wondered whether the economic growth we’ve seen was truly inclusive. We have found that it is. The growth has been shared—many people have benefited from it. The positive effects of economic development have reached Rwandans across all regions—urban and rural—and across all age groups, both young and old,” he said.

According to the Seventh Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV7) conducted over 12 months in 2024, Rwanda’s poverty rate dropped from 39.8% in 2017 to 27.4% in 2024. Extreme poverty fell from 11.3% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2024.

In 2000, the average annual income per Rwandan was $268, which rose to $1,029 by 2024.

EICV7 also shows that 1.5 million Rwandans moved out of poverty in the past seven years, a 12.4% decline in poverty levels.

The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) estimates that a Rwandan needs at least 560,127 Rwandan francs per year to meet essential needs, including food and other basic necessities.

The Government attributes this poverty reduction to a range of social protection programs, such as Girinka (One Cow per Poor Family), Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), direct support to vulnerable households, and health insurance coverage for the poor.

Currently, Rwanda has over 1.6 million cows, with more than 452,000 distributed through the Girinka program.

The ceremony marking the end of the training and the official enrolment of the new recruits was presided over by RDF Chief of Defence Staff, Gen MK Mubarakh, and attended by Service Chiefs, Generals, senior and junior officers, and enlisted personnel.

During the event, the graduates showcased a range of military skills acquired during the course, including arms handling and tactical manoeuvres, demonstrating their readiness to take on operational responsibilities in the RDF.

In his address, Gen Mubarakh congratulated the new soldiers for hard work and determination throughout the demanding training period. He welcomed them into the RDF family and urged them to uphold a high level of discipline and observe RDF’s ethics and values as they integrate and work alongside their fellow service members.

He also encouraged them to be inspired by their predecessors, apply and share the knowledge and skills gained during the training, while protecting Rwanda’s sovereignty and safeguarding its citizens. He further reminded them to be prepared to serve in a multinational environment during peacekeeping operations.

The Commandant of the Basic Military Training Centre, Nasho, Maj Gen JB Ngiruwonsanga, emphasised that the graduates underwent intense military training ranging from arms and combat drills, among others and stressed that their commitment demonstrated their readiness for future military operations.

The graduation and enrolment of these new soldiers come at a time when the RDF continues to modernise and expand its capabilities to meet both national and international defence obligations.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan presided over the inauguration ceremony, marking the completion of a project that began under the leadership of her predecessor, the late President John Pombe Magufuli.

The bridge includes a 1.66-kilometre connecting road, designed to ease transport across a region long dependent on ferries.

Among the guests at the ceremony was former First Lady Janeth Magufuli, widow of the late president. The bridge was renamed in Magufuli’s honour, recognising his role in initiating the project in February 2020 as part of a broader infrastructure development agenda.

At the time of Magufuli’s death on March 17, 2021, the bridge was just under 25 percent complete. President Samia pledged continuity and accelerated its progress, overseeing its completion ahead of the original December 2024 target. According to Minister of Works Abdallah Ulega, only 20 percent of the bridge had been built when President Samia took office.

“This is a landmark project—a three-kilometre bridge unlike any other in East and Central Africa,” Ulega said during a budget debate in Parliament in April. “Its completion is a national achievement, and today the nation celebrates.”

Built at a cost of $300 million, the bridge replaces the Kigongo–Busisi ferry route, long criticised for inefficiency and vulnerability to weather disruptions. The new permanent connection is expected to significantly reduce travel time, enhance economic activity in the Lake Zone, and improve access to essential services.

With the JP Magufuli Bridge now open, Tanzania strengthens its regional transport infrastructure and positions itself as a growing hub for trade and connectivity in the Great Lakes region.