Implications of dignity and self-reliance for Rwandan society

24 min

Source: the Made in Rwanda policy

The Ministry of Trade and Industry's Made in Rwanda Policy (2017) sets out five pillars to make Rwandan products more competitive: sector-specific strategies, reducing the cost of production, improving quality, promoting backward linkages (buying raw materials from Rwandan farmers and suppliers) and mindset change (encouraging Rwandans to buy Rwandan goods).

Worked example: evaluating a claim with evidence

Claim: "Rwanda has become fully self-reliant."

Find evidence for. In the 2024 to 2025 budget, 64.1% of spending was planned from domestic resources (Lesson 1). Umuganda added work worth 19.3 billion Frw in 2015-16 (Lesson 3). The Agaciro Fund builds national savings.
Find evidence against. The same budget planned 23.2% from external loans and 12.7% from grants: $23.2 + 12.7 = 35.9\%$ from outside the country.
Weigh the evidence. Most of the budget is paid for at home, but more than a third is not. Loans must be repaid in the future.
Judge. The claim goes too far. A fair judgement: Rwanda has become more self-reliant and pays for most of its needs, but it is not yet fully self-reliant.

Method to remember: claim, evidence for, evidence against, judgement.

Definition

Implication: a result or consequence that something has, or is likely to have, for people or society. Example: one implication of Girinka is better nutrition for children.

Definition

Social cohesion: the trust, sense of belonging and cooperation that hold a society together, so that people of different backgrounds live and work together peacefully.

Definition

Accountability: the duty of leaders to explain their decisions and results to the people they serve, and to accept the consequences. Example: the public evaluation of imihigo.

Definition

Backward linkage: a connection in which a business buys its raw materials from local suppliers, for example a juice factory buying fruit from Rwandan farmers.

What dignity and self-reliance mean for Rwandan society

Area of life	Positive implications	Challenges to face honestly
Unity and social cohesion	neighbours work, plan and settle disputes together (umuganda, ubudehe, Abunzi); Ndi Umunyarwanda puts a shared identity first	healing from a divided past takes generations; trust must be rebuilt family by family
Economy and poverty	Girinka cows bring milk and income; Made in Rwanda creates jobs; the Agaciro Fund builds national savings	about 36% of the 2024 to 2025 budget still came from loans and grants; some local products cost more than imports
Governance and accountability	imihigo make leaders publish targets; at Umushyikirano citizens question national leaders	targets must be realistic and honestly reported, which is why independent institutions evaluate imihigo
Citizens' participation	citizens help decide and build what their community needs	participation works best when it is willing: umuganda is required by law for adults aged 18 to 65 and absence can be fined, and some workers told journalists they felt pressured to contribute to the Agaciro Fund
Dignity and identity	pride in Rwandan culture and solutions; less of a dependency mindset	people must be treated fairly by programmes: in 2015 the Ubudehe categories were revised, partly because many households disputed how they had been classified

Important

Dignity and self-reliance have implications for unity, the economy, governance, participation and identity.
A fair evaluation weighs achievements and challenges with evidence.
Self-reliance begins with individuals: skills, work, saving and respect.

What self-reliance and dignity mean for you

Learn a skill as well as passing examinations: farming, tailoring, coding, repairing, cooking.
Save part of your pocket money, alone or in a school savings club.
Look for solutions before asking for help: a class that raises money for sports equipment through a school garden is practising kwigira.
Buy and speak well of good Rwandan products, and expect quality from them.
Respect everyone's dignity: never mock a classmate's poverty, disability or background, and never accept being humiliated.
Take part: school clubs, community work and, when you are old enough, umuganda.

Discussion

Umuganda is required by law for adults aged 18 to 65. Some people argue that it should stay compulsory, because everyone benefits and everyone should share the work. Others argue that it would mean more if it were voluntary. Give one argument for each side, then say which you find stronger and why.

Tip

Exam technique: for "Discuss the implications of ...", write a balanced answer: two or three positive implications, one or two challenges, each with an example, and end with a one-sentence judgement.

IGIHE: "Made in Rwanda: Inside Landy Industries Ltd, the factory behind your favorite footwear". Watch for where the factory gets its materials and who works there, and link what you see to the pillars of the Made in Rwanda policy.

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Practice

Name three of the five pillars of the Made in Rwanda policy.
Give one positive implication of home-grown solutions for (a) unity and (b) the economy.
What is a backward linkage? Give an example.
Why was the Ubudehe categorisation revised in 2015?
Using the worked example's method, evaluate the claim: "Girinka has helped poor families become self-reliant."
List three ways a secondary-school student can practise self-reliance.
"Home-grown solutions have only positive implications." Do you agree? Use the table in your answer.

Show answersHide answers

Any three: sector-specific strategies; reducing the cost of production; improving quality; promoting backward linkages; mindset change.
(a) Neighbours work and plan together in umuganda and ubudehe, building trust. (b) Girinka gives families milk and income; Made in Rwanda creates jobs.
A business buying its raw materials from local suppliers; for example, a juice factory buying fruit from Rwandan farmers.
Many households had disputed how they had been classified, and many families' situations had changed since the first categorisation; the six categories were replaced by four.
For: over 380,000 families had received a cow by June 2020; milk, manure and income help families meet their own needs. Against: numbers alone do not show how many families became fully independent, and a cow needs care, feed and vets. Judgement: Girinka has helped many poor families move towards self-reliance, though not all.
Any three: learning a practical skill; saving pocket money; solving problems before asking for help; taking part in school clubs and community work; buying good local products.
No. There are many positive implications, such as unity, income and accountability, but also challenges: continued borrowing, questions about how willing participation is, and the need to treat people fairly in programmes such as Ubudehe. A fair answer weighs both.

1Source: the Made in Rwanda policy

2What dignity and self-reliance mean for Rwandan society

3What self-reliance and dignity mean for you

4Discussion

Source: the Made in Rwanda policy

What dignity and self-reliance mean for Rwandan society

What self-reliance and dignity mean for you

Discussion