Members of the Rwandan Diaspora pose for a group photo with Minister Nduhungirehe after an interactive session hosted by MINAFFET.
Rwandans living in diaspora have been called on to sustain their contribution to the country’s development efforts through different initiatives they are engaged in back in the countries they live in and at home.
The call was made on Friday, January 3, during a meet-and-greet session hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, bringing together more than 130 Rwandans from over 40 countries across the globe, representing their respective communities.
Minister Nduhungirehe recognised the contribution of the Rwandan diaspora community to Rwanda’s development, pointing out that a lot more can be achieved if the current trend can be sustained and consolidated, adding that the government will continue to play its part in facilitating Rwandans in diaspora, to effectively play their role in national development.
“What we ask of you is to continue to accompany Rwanda on this journey we are on from where you are. We consider you default ambassadors of the country, representing your motherland in your respective countries, but beyond that we appreciate what you do, in terms of the remittances you send back home and the projects you undertake,” Amb. Nduhungirehe said.
Nduhungirehe commended Rwandans living abroad for their contribution to the country’s economic growth through remittances, sending US$504.7 million to Rwanda in 2023 alone, which went to their families and friends, and investment activities. In comparison, Rwanda’s exports in 2023 were worth 47.2 million US dollars, which shows how important the remittances are.
During the session, Nduhungirehe said that there are many places where Rwanda doesn’t have diplomatic missions but Rwandans who live there represent the country well, pointing out that Rwanda is looking to open more embassies in different countries, adding to the already existing ones, to facilitate Rwandans in diaspora to play an even more proactive role.
Minister Nduhungirehe said the Rwandan diaspora is expected to contribute towards the achievement of the country’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST2).
“Our request to you is to continue advocating for Rwanda, defending Rwanda wherever you are and to continue encouraging foreigners to visit Rwanda and to come and invest,” he said, adding that the reason the diaspora is considered Rwanda’s sixth province is because of the pivotal role they play.
“That is not all. Beyond contributing to the socioeconomic development of the country, their contribution is also reflected in other activities including knowledge sharing, teaching young people about Rwandan culture as well as the language. It is often difficult for children born or raised abroad to learn Kinyarwanda. They do a great job in promoting our language and culture and we encourage them to continue doing that,” he said.
During the session, representatives of different institutions shared with members of the diaspora different investment opportunities, services and incentives they can take advantage of, most of which can be accessed online.
Michelle Umurungi, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Chief Investment Officer, highlighted some of the incentives the government offers Rwandans abroad, and foreign investors who want to invest in Rwanda, to make it easy for them to do what they have to do.
Michelle Umurungi, RDB Chief Investment Officer highlighted advantages of investing in Rwanda.
Irene Basile Masevelio, a Rwandan businessman who lives in the U.S, shared a testimony of how he was facilitated since 2020, when he decided to come back home and invest, pointing out that the incentives do work and Rwanda is the only place that has offered him such, urging fellow members of the diaspora to take advantage of them.
“When I was importing equipment for the factory I am setting up in Muhanga, import duty was waived, as well as VAT on other equipment I imported for the hotel I was setting up. You can actually save up to 50 percent and this goes directly into the investment,” he said, encouraging people to take advantage of these incentives while they still last.
“I am grateful to the Government of Rwanda, which thought of these incentives to facilitate us. I have been to many countries but it is only here that you get these incentives without having to bribe someone,” he said.
Irene Basile said that the incentives put in place by the government are resourceful for investors.
Aline Sangwa, a Rwandan businesswoman who lives in Mozambique, said that the Rwandan government has done a lot to encourage Rwandans to return home and see before making a decision to invest and the facilitation they are given by the embassy is exceptional.
“Rwandans in Mozambique are now more united. We are all focusing on one thing – contributing to our country. A lot has been said about our community in Mozambique but I can say we are now one,” Sangwa said, adding that recent claims that Rwandans were being targeted in the post-election violence in Mozambique are not true.
“It is true, some businesses owned by Rwandans were affected but it is not because they are Rwandans. Everybody, all the shops were being attacked indiscriminately,” Sangwa said.
A more united front
For many years, the Rwandan diaspora was divided along ethnic lines, with one side linked to the old government and families that fled the country after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the other pro-government and involved in the country’s development.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said however that today, there are signs that those divisions linked to the country’s complicated past are fading away, despite several groups or children of genocidaire families trying to sustain the ideology, but overall, the Rwandan diaspora is now more united and stronger than before.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said that today even children of those who do not want to come back home for different reasons decide to come and see for themselves, rather than listen or follow what they are told -something he said took 30 to build.
Nduhungirehe said that more than ever, Rwandans living abroad today want to align themselves with the country’s vision and part of the country’s transformation, much as there are still small pockets of others still stuck in the past.
