Vision 2020 (Rwanda)

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Vision 2020 was a government development program in Rwanda, launched in 2000 by Rwandan president Paul Kagame.

Contents

Its main objective is transforming the country into a knowledge-based middle-income country, thereby reducing poverty, health problems and making the nation united and democratic.

Overview

The programme contained a list of goals which the government aims to achieve before the year 2020: [1] [2]

History

In the late 1990s, president Paul Kagame and his government began actively planning methods to achieve national development. He launched a national consultation process [2] and also sought the advice of experts from emerging nations including China, Singapore and Thailand. [1] Following these consultations, and shortly after assuming the presidency, Kagame launched Vision 2020. [1] 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. [2]

Results

In 2011, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) issued a report indicating the progress of the Vision 2020 goals. [3] The report examined the stated goals of the programme and rated each one with a status of "on-track", "on-watch" or "off-track". Of 44 goals, it found that

In November 2013, Kagame told This Is Africa "Our thinking is based on people. In national budgets, we focus on education, health, we look at technology, skills, innovation, creativity. We are always thinking about people, people, people." [7]

In December 2020, Kagame and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning announced the project's successor: Vision 2050. As Kagame put it: "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." [8] Vision 2050 focuses around the pillars of Economic Growth and Prosperity and High Quality of Life and Standards of Life for Rwandans. [8] Crucially, it aims for Rwanda to become an upper-middle income country by 2035, and a high-income country by 2050. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kinzer 2008, pp. 226–227.
  2. 1 2 3 MINECOFIN (I).
  3. 1 2 3 MINECOFIN (II) 2011, p. 2.
  4. Republic of Rwanda (2012). "Vision 2020 (Revised 2012)" (PDF). Republic of Rwanda.
  5. Nimusima, Pereez; et al. (2018). "An Evaluation of Rwanda's Vision 2020 Achievements" (PDF). East Africa Research Papers in Economics and Finance. 2018 (17).
  6. 1 2 Ansoms & Rostagno 2012.
  7. "Exclusive interview: Paul Kagame". This Is Africa. November 18, 2013. Archived from the original on November 30, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), Republic of Rwanda (December 2020). "Vision 2050" (PDF). Republic of Rwanda.

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