Rwanda at a Glance

Official name: Republic of Rwanda

Flag

Coat of Arms

Motto: Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu "Unity, Work, Patriotism"

Anthem: Rwanda Nziza

Capital: Kigali
Surface area: 26,338 sq. km
Political system: Unitary state with multiparty democracy
Head of state: President Paul Kagame
Next election date: 2010
Population: Approximately 9,907,509 people (July 2007 est.)
Demonym: Rwandan, Rwandese
Official languages: English, French and Kinyarwanda.
Kiswahili is also used in commercial hubs.
Principal religions: The nation is some 56.5% Roman Catholic, 26% Protestant, 11.1% Adventist, and 4.6% Muslim, original beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.576 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $2.836 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38.2%
Industry: 20.1%
Services: 41.7% (2007 est.)
Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)
Exchange rates (14 April 2008): (latest figures available at the Central Bank website www.bnr.rw ) 4 $1 = Rwf 540.71
6 €1 = Rwf 855.62
7 Y1 = Rwf 5.33
8 BIF 1 = Rwf 0.47
9 Ksh 1 = Rwf 8.67
10 Tshs 1 = Rwf 0.44
11 Ushs 1 = Rwf 0.32
Exports: $170.8 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports: $472.5 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Fiscal year: calendar year

Communication:
Telephones - main lines in use: 22,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 576, 000 GSM (2007), with free roaming packages regional some regional operators, 20,000 CDMA (2007)

Radio broadcast stations: FM 15 (three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and DeutcheWelle), SW 1 Television broadcast stations: 1, (international channels are available from DSTV and GTV)

Internet country code: .rw

Calling code: +250

Transportation:
Airports:9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5
Roadways: total: 14,008 km
Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2006)
Ports and terminals: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Climatic conditions: Tropical but mild because of elevation.
Two rainy seasons: March-May and October-November. Frost and snow possible in the mountains.
Average temperature: 24oC (maximum of 34oC during the day and minimum of 10oC at night). Average in Kigali 19oC.

Rwanda today
It is important to note that, fourteen years after the genocide, Rwanda is a very different country from what it was for most of its post-independence history. Foreign investors speak of it as one of the safest places in Africa, as well as one of the least corrupt, and it is not only their opinion. It is a fact that has been achieved through immense efforts by the Government and the people of Rwanda. Key programs covering Unity and Reconciliation, Decentralization, the Gacaca court system to dispose Genocide cases and other Community/local Government activities have collectively contributed to the peaceful and secure Rwanda of Today! Also, Rwanda has a development-oriented Government committed to the transformation of the economy into a regional hub for services and industry. The development Roadmap Vision 2020 specifies development targets for the country. Clean, committed and peaceful, Rwanda is now an investment location well worth considering.

More Information
Rwanda is a hilly, landlocked and densely populated country with serious problems related to land scarcity.

Geographically, Rwanda is situated east of Central Africa between 1004’ and 2051’ latitude south and between 28053’ and 30053’ longitude east. The shortest distance to the ocean is 1,200 km long.

Socio-demographic Data

Rwanda has an area of 26,338 km2. It has a population of 8,128,553 million (MINECOFIN, Nov. 2003) with a natural growth rate of 3.1% (UNDP, Dec. 1997).

With its current physical density of 321 inhabitants per km2 and a physiological density of 433 inhabitants per km2, Rwanda is the most densely populated African country, and its annual income per capita of about US$210 (2000 estimates) makes it one of the poorest countries in Africa.

Physical Data

Relief

Rwanda is a very hilly country, with steep slopes ravaged by massive and devastating soil erosion which is exacerbated by overstripping of land, deforestation, and inadequate use of land improvement techniques. The relief of the country can be divided into three distinct types stretching from west to east. To the west is the Congo-Nile watershed that rises over Lake Kivu. To the north is a chain of volcanoes, and to the east are the lowlands. The central part of the country has an altitude of between 1,500 m and 2,000 m, with stretched hills and more or less rounded hilltops separated by large valleys. This type of relief covers almost half of the country and has earned Rwanda the nickname of the “Land of a Thousand Hills”.

Climate

With more or less constant temperatures throughout the year (16 - 170C in the high altitudes, 180C - 210C in the central plateau and 200C - 240C in the eastern and western lowlands), Rwanda has an equatorial-continental temperate type of climate classified as AW3, according to the Köppen classification. The country has four seasons which are determined by the variability of rainfall. However, the rainfall is quite irregular and gives rise to prolonged drought periods, especially in the regions of Bugesera, Mayaga and Umutara, causing serious setbacks to agricultural activities that are totally dependent on rainfall.

Soils

Rwanda’s soils are naturally fragile. They are a result of the physical and chemical alteration of schistose, quartzite, gneiss, granite, and volcanic rocks which form the surface geology of the country.

The soil map of Rwanda, which was published in 1992, shows six types of soils:

1) Soils derived from schistose, sandstone and quartzite which cover almost 50% of the national territory

2) Soils derived from granite and gneiss which make up about 20% of the national territory

3) Soils originating from intrusive basic rocks that hardly cover 10% of the national territory

4) Soils originating from recent volcanic materials that cover 10% of the national territory

5) Soils originating from ancient volcanic materials that cover 4% of the national territory

6) Alluvial and colluvial soils which are typical of Rwanda’s swamps occupy 6% of the national territory

The map of soil capacity, which is complementary to the soil map, shows that more than half of Rwanda’s soils are unsuitable for crops that are particularly demanding. The very good soils occupy a very small space and are found mostly in densely populated areas.

Economic and socio-cultural data

Rwanda’s economy is based mainly on Agriculture. In fact, this sector occupies 91.1% of the active population and produces 43.5% of GDP and 80% of the country’s exports, principally from coffee and tea (MINAGRI, 1998). Land resource is, therefore, the most important factor of production and survival for the nation and the entire population, and it will remain the backbone of the national economy for a long time to come.

However, due to its scarcity, land as a natural resource does not offer many alternatives in terms of increased arable land. In fact, agricultural land is estimated at around 1,380,000 ha, which is about 52% of the country’s surface area. Together with the reclaimed part of the Akagera National Park, i.e. a surface area of 194,000 ha, and the entire Umutara Game Reserve, around 15,000 ha, for agriculture, livestock and forestry, the total surface area of arable land comes to 1,589,000 ha, or 60% of the national territory.

Marshland area is estimated at around 165.000 ha. Half of this area is suitable for crops, while the other half needs to be protected in order to regulate the water cycle, the eco-climatic balance, and for the conservation of biodiversity.

From the socio-cultural point of view, Rwandans are very much attached to the land which is the strong foundation of Rwandan social and cultural traditions. As a result, there is a growing competition for access to land due to the combined effects of land scarcity, population growth, the high number of landless people, the livestock crisis, and the increasing hold of the urban elite over rural land.

Land situation during the first and second Republics

After independence, the government gave an important role to the “communes” in the administration of land. Through the ‘Loi Communale’ of 23/1/63, the protection of rights relating to registered land under the customary law became the responsibility of the commune. However, the provisions of this law were virtually nullified by Decree No. 09/76 concerning the purchase and sale of customary land rights or land use rights.

While at the beginning of the 60’s the Government banked on abolishing the system of “Ibikingi” to put them under the authority of the “communes” and on recovering the land abandoned by the 1959 refugees to acquire new agricultural land, the 1970-1980 decade was characterized by intensive migration from the already densely populated regions of Gikongoro, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi and Kibuye to the semi-arid savannas of the East (Umutara, Kibungo and Bugesera) in search for vacant land. It is during this period that the Government attempted to transform the existing human settlement system into one of grouped homesteads, known as the “paysannat”. The purpose was to make more rational the occupation and use of land which was becoming more and more scarce.

In 1976, decree No. 09/76 of 04/03/76 concerning the purchase and sale of land customary rights, or the right of soil use, authorized individuals to purchase and sell customary land after application to the competent authorities, and subject to retaining at least 2 ha of land. The buyer was also to justify that he did not have land property equal to at least 2 ha. Ever since, the Government recognized only the right of ownership based on land registration and became, therefore, the eminent land owner.

At the beginning of the 80s, there were no more new lands, and problems began to emerge bluntly; reduction of soil fertility and of the size of land for cultivation, family conflicts stemming from land ownership, food shortages, etc. From 2 ha in 1960, the average area of a family’s cultivation plot was reduced to 1.2 ha in 1984, according to the agricultural survey carried out at the time.

Since the beginning of the 90s, the country found itself in a land-related deadlock. Problems included insufficient agricultural production, increasing population pressure on natural resources, growing number of landless peasants, and conflict between agriculture, livestock and natural reserves. Through agricultural projects, particularly forestry and grazing land projects, the government strengthened its role as the owner of vast stretches of land. Reforestation became an important factor in land accumulation by the State and private individuals. Forests extended even in lands fit for crops as well as marshlands. Reforestation became thus a simple form of long term land ownership.

Land situation after 1994

The massacres and the Genocide of April - July 1994 decimated over one million lives. These sad events led also to the displacement of millions of people, both inside and outside the country, leaving behind many widows and orphans.

After the Genocide, the 1959 refugees were expected to return as stipulated the Arusha Peace Accords. Article 2 of the Protocol of the Arusha Peace Accords between the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and the Rwandese Patriotic Front on the Repatriation of Rwandan Refugees and the Resettlement of Displaced Persons stated that ” ...every returnee is free to settle in any area of his/her choice in the country, as long as he/she does not infringe on somebody else’s rights”.

Article 3 of the Protocol stated that “in order to resettle the repatriated persons, the Government of Rwanda should release all unoccupied land so identified by the Repatriation Commission”.

On the other hand, Article 4 of the Protocol stipulated that “the right to property is a fundamental right for all Rwandans. Consequently, the refugees have the right to repossess their properties upon their return. However, the two parties recommended that “with a view to promoting social harmony and national reconciliation, refugees who fled the country over 10 years ago should not reclaim their properties which have been occupied by other individuals. To compensate them, the Government will give them land and assist them to resettle".

In the first place, the return of the 1959 refugees gave rise to a real land problem, mostly because it was difficult to apply the Arusha Peace Accords which had been torpedoed by the 1994 Genocide (Articles 2, 3, 4 of the Arusha Peace Accords). As a provisional measure, some of the former 1959 refugees occupied land that had been abandoned. This situation resulted in the 1996 regulations on the temporary management of abandoned land. Other former refugees were given plots on public land and vacant land on which they could resettle and produce. These lands were:

• Umutara Game Reserve, two thirds of the Akagera National Park and the Gishwati Mountain Forest, as well as land belonging to certain state-owned projects which was parcelled out and distributed to the 1959 refugees.

• Communal land, woody areas found on good soil, pastures, and areas near the shallow sections of marshlands.

• In some provinces, namely in Kibungo, Cyangugu, Kigali Rural, Ruhengeri and Umutara, many family plots were parcelled out and re-distributed between the owners and the returning 1959 refugees.

Despite these actions, which at the end of the day may be considered as remedial measures, many families are still landless and land given to orphans and widows is still mismanaged. These problems add to the already existing problems such as excessive parcelling out of plots, deforestation and the gradual soil impoverishment.

This land situation has resulted in the need for a national land policy that takes into account both the current socio-political situation and economic considerations that require changes of mentalities with regard to the mode of land management and land administration.

Source: Official Government Website and the National Land Policy