{"id":55259,"date":"2025-08-17T10:22:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T10:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/minister-nduhungirehe-shares-how-thinking-big-has-transformed-rwanda\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T14:39:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:39:27","slug":"minister-nduhungirehe-shares-how-thinking-big-has-transformed-rwanda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/minister-nduhungirehe-shares-how-thinking-big-has-transformed-rwanda\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister Nduhungirehe shares how ‘thinking big’ has transformed Rwanda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speaking to business leaders and global delegates, he outlined how Rwanda\u2019s bold choice to \u201cthink big\u201d has transformed a nation once deemed doomed into a beacon of resilience and progress.<\/p>\n

The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi left Rwanda in ruins, with one million lives lost in just 100 days. Institutions were shattered, the economy collapsed, and hope seemed lost. Yet, as Minister Nduhungirehe explained, Rwanda refused to accept despair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose to stay together, to be accountable, and to think big,\u201d he said, describing three defining decisions that reshaped the nation\u2019s DNA.<\/p>\n

Rejecting a one-size-fits-all development model, Rwanda forged its own path with homegrown solutions rooted in its culture and context. The Gacaca community courts, inspired by traditional dispute resolution, processed over two million genocide-related cases in a decade, delivering justice and reconciliation where conventional courts would have taken a century. <\/p>\n

\u201cGacaca means grass,\u201d Nduhungirehe noted, recalling how village elders once settled conflicts on grassy patches, a practice revived to heal a fractured society.<\/p>\n

Other innovations drew from Rwanda\u2019s traditions. Umuganda, a monthly community work day, unites citizens for public projects like tree planting and building homes for the vulnerable, making Kigali one of Africa\u2019s cleanest cities. <\/p>\n

Imihigo, or performance contracts, hold public officials accountable with measurable targets, fostering a results-driven culture. The Girinka program, meaning \u201cown a cow,\u201d has lifted thousands out of poverty by providing cows to poor families, with recipients passing on calves to neighbours in a chain of solidarity.<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s ambition extended to gender equality, with women now holding 61% of parliamentary seats, the highest globally. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the genocide, women were victims beyond men, facing sexual violence and loss,\u201d Nduhungirehe said. Reforms ensured equal rights to inheritance and services, while gender-responsive budgeting prioritizes women in education, health, and agriculture. Programs like One Laptop Per Child aim to leapfrog Rwanda into the digital age.<\/p>\n

The minister highlighted Rwanda\u2019s defiance of sceptics who called its goals too ambitious. Despite pressure from international partners like the World Bank and IMF to scale back, Rwanda invested in five-star hotels and tourism campaigns like Visit Rwanda, partnering with soccer giants Arsenal, PSG, and Bayern Munich. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey told us we were a poor country, that we should stay where we are,\u201d he said. \u201cWe refused, and it\u2019s paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s Vision 2020 lifted millions out of poverty and established universal healthcare and free primary education. Now, Vision 2050 aims to make Rwanda an upper-middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income nation by 2050, with a GDP per capita target of $12,000. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we don\u2019t fully reach our goals, we know we\u2019ll be close,\u201d Nduhungirehe said, emphasising the power of ambition.<\/p>\n

The minister also addressed Rwanda\u2019s global partnerships, including its role in China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative since 2018, which has funded roads, hospitals, and irrigation projects. <\/p>\n

On the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nduhungirehe noted that FDLR, a militia group formed by the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, continues to destabilise the region from DRC territory. <\/p>\n

He highlighted a peace agreement signed with the DRC in Washington on June 27, 2025, aimed at neutralising the FDLR, lifting Rwanda\u2019s defensive measures, resolving political issues for Congolese of Rwandan descent, and fostering joint economic projects like methane gas extraction from Lake Kivu and critical minerals development. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to change the narrative from blood minerals to shared prosperity,\u201d he said, stressing Rwanda\u2019s commitment to implementing the agreement in good faith.<\/p>\n

Responding to questions, Nduhungirehe credited President Paul Kagame\u2019s visionary leadership. A delegate from his team recounted Kagame\u2019s post-genocide call to \u201ctransform suffering into a creative force,\u201d choosing unity over bitterness. This clarity of vision, coupled with accountability, has driven Rwanda\u2019s progress, from performance contracts for mayors to resisting external pressures to conform.<\/p>\n

\u201cDevelopment should never be about fitting into a frame designed elsewhere,\u201d Nduhungirehe remarked. \u201cIt should be rooted in values, driven by pragmatism, and flexible enough to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, shared the inspiring story of Rwanda’s recovery from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in a compelling address at the Australian Leadership Retreat on Saturday, August 16, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000092716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000092716,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-28-6129flogo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000092716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55259"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=55259"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=55259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}