4.2.1 Interview data from administrators
Several respondents were for interviewed. These include: the
donor representatives, relevant ministry officials, sector coordinators and
community leaders. Following recommendations by Chisaka and Vakalisa (2003),
the findings from the interview method are presented thematically with emerging
or recurring themes identified. Substantiating evidence in form of people?s
real words are also given since it is a qualitative inquiry (Frankel and Wallen
1996).
Table 4.6 below presents data that was gathered using
the interview method
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EMERGING THEME
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SUBSTANTIATING EVIDENCE
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How have been the Relations between
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In general I can say even in 10 years ago that our
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Government of Rwanda and the Donor
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relations with the Development Partners were good.
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Community since 2000-2009?
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(Donors are no longer called Donor Community but
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Development Partners because they are helping us to build
our country.) I was saying our relationship is fine in terms of development
issues. They are involved in committees where we plan together, we implement
together and we Monitor and evaluate together
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(MINECOFIN).
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In general our relationship with the donor community is
good. In our 15 sectors, 7 in town and 8 in rural area, we have NGOs and
working closely with the community of these sectors in their different
development activities.
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Here I am talking about their socio-economic
development activities, as you can see it on this chart,
(refer to table 4.11), Mayor of Gasabo.
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Which sector(s) benefited from foreign
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In 2000 our economy was worse than in 1990s because
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aid from 2000-2009?
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of Genocide. This was the time of reconstruction and
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Rehabilitation, the PRSP was the guidance as poverty
strategy. From 2003-2005 things changed: socio life, enrolment of students,
gender equality also quite good but with a bit need of change in economic
empowerment.
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Service sector was also high, but we realize that all of
these are not pro-poor programs. The poverty remains.
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From 2006, the agriculture was the one to be focused in
to
contribute to the growth; the industry, investment...
were too slightly
contribute to the economy
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(MINECOFIN).
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MDGs are principles that only serve a
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No. If you know well the history, MDGs come later
after
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political ideology and are serving
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our Vision 2020, which means that when we saw or
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cosmetic and window dressing purposes.
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heard about the September 2000 UN declarations on
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Do you agree?
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MDGs, we said excellent, we are in a right way and
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From your own point of view what other effects can you
highlight which are caused by poverty and hunger on 5 Zanda?\1\RFiR-economic
development?
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also high in our district; it is another effect of poverty.
(Mayor Gasabo District)
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Does Rwanda face technical challenges
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Yes we account some challenges here and there with
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with regard to implementation of MDGs?
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regard to the implementation of MDGs. Rwanda have a
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What about your Organization?
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good Political will even good programs and plans, but we
have also the challenge in Monitoring and Evaluation of these to attain MDGs
targets...( MINECOFIN)
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There is a general consensus that poverty
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Yes it is, but if I have first to start by explaining
what
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is a threat to Rwanda?s socio-economic
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poverty is:
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development. What is your reaction?
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- first, there is poverty or being poor in mind;
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- second to be poor by lack of means of production
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(financial material).
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Rwanda had to change its population mind, because since
the time we have got foreign aid with a new way of thinking, educated,
empowered mentally, economically and financially we could be developed. The
tied aid was there but we could not see or understand those conditionalities
because of our extreme poverty; or even if we knew that this Aid is going back
to their country somehow, we could not accept that in these past
decades.
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Poverty is a threat to Rwanda?s socio-economic
development; let even go through our history,
people
killed each other, Rwandans to Rwandans this was a lack
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of development, instead of developing ourselves we killed
each other, so we really need a new mindset and look at our future, plan for
poverty alleviation, not for poverty stagnation.
(MINALOC)
Yes, poverty is a threat to Rwanda?s socio economic
development. You can not be developed economically or socially, when you lack
of the living necessities. Poverty for me is in our mind and in the lack of
means. We need our population being educated and empowered with means of
productions. Education will change our mind and with those means we will use
them properly to develop ourselves socially and economically. (Mayor
GASABO).
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Do you agree that instead of promoting 5
ZEndE?hThRFiR-economic development, foreign aid creates a dependency
syndrome?
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This can happen in some countries but not generally. For
example our country is Independent hundred per cent in education area, we are
injecting our own money, the basic education in for free 9 years education and
in Health, there is "Mutuelle the Sante" medical insurance where a person is
only contributing 1000RwF/almost 2$ per year for medication, and the rest is
the Government's subsides. (MINALOC)
So if you can see, we need aid in economic development and
sustainable one, not something we do today and not
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having it tomorrow. In general I can say we still need Aid
today. ...( MINECOFIN)
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Some Schools of thought argue that «poverty and hunger
are functional». Do you agree in relation to Rwanda?s socio- economic
development?
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Yes I agree, these are function in our society. This is a
retroactivity of poverty. It changes from a place to another. If we knew that
we are poor, we could take care and plan for tomorrow. ...(
MINECOFIN)
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What are Rwanda?s main resources in terms of importance? Do
any of these contribute to Rwanda?s GDP?
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The main resources of the district are different taxes
from our taxpayers and services offered by the district. (Mayor of
Gasabo District).
Yes, especially taxes contribute to Rwanda's GDP.
Mining, Agriculture, Industry and
Manufacturing,
services...( MINECOFIN, MINALOC)
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Can Rwanda do without «Vision
Umurenge Programme» in its attempt to fight poverty
and hunger?
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The Vision Umurenge Program is very effective; its content
is the population will. The results are clear, positive... We
can do without it if something new emerges in a positive way.(
MINECOFIN)
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How sustainable is foreign aid in the mainstream of Rwanda?s
socio-economic development?
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Foreign Aid is not sustainable at all. For now, we can say
we need Aid in technology (ICT sector). Technical assistance yes, because we
don?t have the capacity, but we need them to teach us when they are in mission
for developmental projects so that our development sector could sustain. We
need aid on Infrastructure sector and
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ICT and good Management of what we have settled...
(MINECOFIN)
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We need Aid and we steel need Aid and I can see in 10
years of driving. Why do I say so? Because when you look at our low growth
economy, if you look in terms of our population income, we will get our own
capacity
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(domestic resources) in those 10 years. I am not
seeing
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Foreign Aid after that time. We are planning for
employment creation, creating SMEs and our
priorities
are in rural area where we plan for rural transformation.
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All of these are the pillars of our mid and long
human
development strategies, EDPRS and Vision 2020
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MINALOC.
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Are you aware that Rwanda has MDGs?
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Yes we have MDGs. I can not name them but we have a
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If yes can you name them?
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baseline, where we mark our achievement concerning
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MDGs data. ...( Mayor of Gasabo)
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Yes, I am aware of MDGs as one of Government? planners
(MINECOFIN, MINALOC)
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4.2.1.1 Interpretation and Analysis
Based on the above views, it can be noted that poverty is a
threat to Rwanda?s socio economic
development. Rwanda?s economy is facing
some challenges including low agricultural
productivity; famine and cyclical
droughts; low human resource development; limited
employment opportunities; high population density and growth;
high transport costs and environmental degradation. These microeconomic
problems give rise to the following macroeconomic difficulties: structural
trade deficit; high vulnerability to terms of trade shocks due to heavy
dependence on two export crops - coffee and tea; structural imbalance between
Government revenues and expenditures; negative savings; and low level of
private investment.
As it has been explained by one GoR?s planner, a lot has been
done to eradicate poverty and increase socio economic development. He said:
«Rwanda?s needs must be accompanied by a change in the way in which
both the Government and its development partners conceptualize aid, so that
together we ensure that assistance to Rwanda has maximum impact on the lives of
the Rwandan citizen». The rest of the officials (interviewees and
questionnaire respondents) were indeed aware of MDGs and were able to think of
poverty and foreign aid at macro-level. They gave the overall impression that
poverty was indeed a threat to the socio-economic development of Rwanda; and
that indeed foreign aid was an indispensable facility.
However, others felt that much as foreign aid was vital, there
was need to couple aid with training programs which would leave the
beneficiaries self-reliant in the end so as to avoid dependency syndromes.
Government officials actually hammered that donors need fall in line with
development priorities of Government rather than pursue own agendas. The
findings may seem to be consistent with what was obtained through the
questionnaire method. However, it can be concluded that a number of challenges
that affect the effectiveness of Aid lies directly or indirectly with the
negative attitudes held by different partners. These include the donor, the
boundary partners in the middle and the recipient at the end of the
continuum.
The fact that the community appreciates the impact of foreign
aid in a positive manner is worthy. However confirms the functionalist?s view
that society has interdependent parts that must work together and meet the
societal basic needs or functional prerequisites (Meena 1992).
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