Editing Rwanda (section)

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Rwanda}}

Rwanda's economy suffered heavily during the 1994 genocide, with widespread loss of life, failure to maintain infrastructure, looting, and neglect of important cash crops. This caused a large drop in GDP and destroyed the country's ability to attract private and external investment.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} The economy has since strengthened, with per-capita [[nominal GDP]] estimated at [[Geary–Khamis dollar|$]]909.9 in 2022,<ref name=imf_data>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/April/weo-report?c=618,636,664,714,733,738,746,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,LP,&sy=2022&ey=2022&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook database: April 2022 |website=International Monetary Fund |access-date=2 May 2022 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531124232/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/April/weo-report?c=618,636,664,714,733,738,746,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,LP,&sy=2022&ey=2022&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> compared with $127 in 1994.{{sfn|IMF (I)}} As of the most recent survey in 2019/20, 48.8% of the population continues to be affected by [[Multidimensional Poverty Index|multidimensional poverty]] and an additional 22.7% vulnerable to it.<ref name=":122">{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023 Rwanda |url=https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/MPI/RWA.pdf |access-date=5 August 2024 |website=United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports}}</ref> Major export markets include China, Germany, and the United States.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} The economy is managed by the central [[National Bank of Rwanda]] and the currency is the [[Rwandan franc]]; in December 2023, the exchange rate was 1250 francs to one United States dollar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=USD–RWF 2023 Yahoo |url=https://freecurrencyrates.com/en/exchange-rate-history/USD-RWF/2023/yahoo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517094751/https://freecurrencyrates.com/en/exchange-rate-history/USD-RWF/2023/yahoo |archive-date=2024-05-17 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=freecurrencyrates.com}}</ref> Rwanda joined the [[East African Community]] in 2007, and has ratified a plan for [[monetary union]] amongst the seven member nations,{{sfn|Asiimwe|2014}} which could eventually lead to a common [[East African shilling#Second East African shilling|East African shilling]].{{sfn|Lavelle|2008}}

Rwanda is a country of few natural resources,{{sfn|U.S. Department of State|2004}} and the economy is based mostly on [[subsistence agriculture]] by local farmers using simple tools.{{sfn|FAO / WFP|1997}} An estimated 90% of the working population farms, and agriculture constituted an estimated 32.5% of GDP in 2014.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} Farming techniques are basic, with small plots of land and steep slopes.{{sfn|Our Africa}} Since the mid-1980s, farm sizes and food production have been decreasing, due in part to the resettlement of displaced people.{{sfn|WRI|2006}}{{sfn|U.S. Department of State|2004}} Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, and food imports are required.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} However, in recent years with the growth of agriculture, the situation has improved.<ref>{{cite web |title=From genocide to growth: Rwanda's remarkable economic turnaround – GE63 |date=24 March 2023 |url=https://ge63.com/rwanda-economic-growth |access-date=2023-03-31 |language=en-US |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331101318/https://ge63.com/rwanda-economic-growth |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Transporting bananas.jpg|thumb|Rwanda produced 2.6 million tonnes of banana in 2019, its largest cash crop.<ref name="Rwanda production in 2019, by FAO">{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/ |title=Rwanda production in 2019, by FAO |publisher=The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |access-date=17 July 2022 |archive-date=11 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511194947/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/ |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

Subsistence crops grown in the country include [[matoke]] (green bananas), which occupy more than a third of the country's farmland,{{sfn|Our Africa}} [[potato]]es, [[bean]]s, [[sweet potato]]es, [[cassava]], [[wheat]] and [[maize]].{{sfn|Our Africa}} Coffee and tea are the major cash crops for export, with the high altitudes, steep slopes and volcanic soils providing favourable conditions.{{sfn|Our Africa}} Reports have established that more than 400,000 Rwandans make their living from coffee plantation.{{sfn|Tumwebaze|2016}} Reliance on agricultural exports makes Rwanda vulnerable to shifts in their prices.{{sfn|WTO|2004}} Animals raised in Rwanda include cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chicken, and rabbits, with geographical variation in the numbers of each.{{sfn|MINAGRI|2006}} Production systems are mostly traditional, although there are a few intensive dairy farms around Kigali.{{sfn|MINAGRI|2006}} Shortages of land and water, insufficient and poor-quality feed, and regular disease epidemics with insufficient veterinary services are major constraints that restrict output. Fishing takes place on the country's lakes, but stocks are very depleted, and live fish are being imported in an attempt to revive the industry.{{sfn|Namata|2008}}

The industrial sector is small, contributing 14.8% of GDP in 2014.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} Products manufactured include cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles and cigarettes.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} Rwanda's mining industry is an important contributor, generating US$93&nbsp;million in 2008.{{sfn|Mukaaya|2009}} Minerals mined include [[cassiterite]], [[wolframite]], gold, and [[coltan]], which is used in the manufacture of electronic and communication devices such as mobile phones.{{sfn|Mukaaya|2009}}{{sfn|Delawala|2001}}

Rwanda's [[service sector]] suffered during the [[late-2000s recession]] as bank lending, foreign aid projects and investment were reduced.{{sfn|Nantaba|2010}} The sector rebounded in 2010, becoming the country's largest sector by economic output and contributing 43.6% of the country's GDP.{{sfn|CIA (I)}} Key tertiary contributors include banking and finance, wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, transport, storage, communication, insurance, real estate, business services and public administration including education and health.{{sfn|Nantaba|2010}}

[[Tourism in Rwanda|Tourism]] is one of the fastest-growing economic resources and became the country's leading foreign exchange earner in 2007.{{sfn|Mukaaya|2008}} In spite of the genocide's legacy, the country is increasingly perceived internationally as a safe destination.{{sfn|Nielsen|Spenceley|2010|p=6}} The number of tourist arrivals in 2013 was 864,000 people, up from 504,000 in 2010.{{sfn|World Bank (XI)}} Revenue from tourism was US$303&nbsp;million in 2014, up from just US$62&nbsp;million in 2000.{{sfn|KT Press|2015}} The largest contributor to this revenue was [[mountain gorilla]] tracking, in the Volcanoes National Park;{{sfn|KT Press|2015}} Rwanda is one of only three countries in which [[mountain gorilla]]s can be visited safely; the gorillas attract thousands of visitors per year, who are prepared to pay high prices for permits.{{sfn|Nielsen|Spenceley|2010|p=2}} Other attractions include Nyungwe Forest, home to chimpanzees, Ruwenzori colobus and other primates, the resorts of Lake Kivu, and Akagera, a small [[savanna reserve]] in the east of the country.{{sfn|RDB (II)}}

Rwanda was ranked 104th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/|title=Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship|access-date=2024-10-22|author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|year=2024|isbn=978-92-805-3681-2|doi= 10.34667/tind.50062|website=www.wipo.int|location=Geneva|page=18}}</ref>

=== Media and communications ===
{{main|Telecommunications in Rwanda|Media of Rwanda}}
The largest radio and television stations are state-run, and the majority of newspapers are owned by the government.{{sfn|BBC News (VII)|2015}} Most Rwandans have access to radio; during the 1994 genocide, the radio station [[Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines]] broadcast across the country, and helped to fuel the killings through anti-Tutsi propaganda.{{sfn|BBC News (VII)|2015}} {{As of|2015}}, the state-run [[Radio Rwanda]] was the largest station and the main source of news throughout the country.{{sfn|BBC News (VII)|2015}} Television access was limited, with most homes not having their own set.{{sfn|Gasore|2014}} The government rolled out [[digital television]] in 2014, and a year later there were seven national stations operating, up from just one in the pre-2014 analogue era.{{sfn|Opobo|2015}} The press is tightly restricted, and newspapers routinely self-censor to avoid government reprisals.{{sfn|BBC News (VII)|2015}} Nonetheless, publications in Kinyarwanda, English, and French critical of the government are widely available in Kigali. Restrictions were increased in the run-up to the Rwandan presidential election of 2010, with two independent newspapers, ''Umuseso'' and ''Umuvugizi'', being suspended for six months by the [[High Media Council (Rwanda)|High Media Council]].{{sfn|Reporters Without Borders|2010}}

The country's oldest telecommunications group, [[Rwandatel]], went into liquidation in 2011, having been 80% owned by Libyan company [[LAP Green]].{{sfn|Mugisha|2013}} The company was acquired in 2013 by [[Liquid Telecom]],{{sfn|Southwood|2013}} a company providing telecommunications and [[fibre optic]] networks across eastern and southern Africa.{{sfn|Mugwe|2013}} {{In|2015}}, Liquid Telecom provided [[landline]] service to 30,968 subscribers, with mobile operator [[MTN Rwanda]] serving an additional 15,497 fixed line subscribers.{{sfn|RURA|2015|p=6}} Landlines are mostly used by government institutions, banks, [[Non-Government Organisation|NGO]]s and embassies, with private subscription levels low.{{sfn|Majyambere|2010}} {{In|2015}}, [[mobile phone]] penetration in the country is 72.6%,{{sfn|RURA|2015|p=5}} up from 41.6% in 2011.{{sfn|RURA|2011|p=3}} MTN Rwanda is the leading provider, with 3,957,986 subscribers, followed by [[Tigo]] with 2,887,328, and [[Bharti Airtel]] with 1,336,679.{{sfn|RURA|2015|p=6}} Rwandatel has also previously operated a mobile phone network, but the industry regulator revoked its licence in April 2011, following the company's failure to meet agreed investment commitments.{{sfn|Butera|2011}} Internet penetration is low but rising rapidly; in 2015 there were 12.8 internet users per 100 people,{{sfn|RURA|2015|p=5}} up from 2.1 in 2007.{{sfn|World Bank (II)}} In 2011, a {{convert|2300|km|mi|adj=on}} fibre-optic telecommunications network was completed, intended to provide broadband services and facilitate electronic commerce.{{sfn|Reuters|2011}} This network is connected to [[SEACOM (African cable system)|SEACOM]], a [[Submarine communications cable|submarine]] fibre-optic cable connecting communication carriers in southern and eastern Africa. Within Rwanda the cables run along major roads, linking towns around the country.{{sfn|Reuters|2011}} Mobile provider MTN also runs a [[wireless internet]] service accessible in most areas of Kigali via pre-paid subscription.{{sfn|Butera|2010}} As of 2024, the largest [[internet]] providers are MTN and Airtel. MTN Rwanda has shown impressive growth in its subscriber base. As of the first quarter of 2024, MTN Rwanda had approximately 7.4 million mobile subscribers. (Additionally, their Mobile Money platform, MoMo, had around 5.1 million users), compared to Airtel Rwanda's 5,792,046 active mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions.
In October 2019, [[Mara Corporation]] launched the first African-made smartphone in Rwanda.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rwanda-telecoms-idUSKBN1WM1TN |title=Rwanda launches first 'Made in Africa' smartphones |date=10 October 2019 |work=Reuters |access-date=10 October 2019 |language=en |archive-date=9 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009161807/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rwanda-telecoms-idUSKBN1WM1TN |url-status=live}}</ref> Following its launch in 2024, Airtel Rwanda, in cooperation with the Rwandan government, released the most affordable smartphone in the world, the Airtel Imagine 4G. The phone was introduced as part of the ConnectRwanda 2.0 initiative. It costs only 20,000 RWF (approximately 14.49 USD).

=== Infrastructure ===
{{main|Transport in Rwanda|Energy in Rwanda|Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda}}{{Update|part=section|date=March 2023|reason=Sanitation access statistics are from 2006}}[[File:WaterPumpRwanda.jpg|thumb|right|Rural water pump|alt=Photograph depicting one adult and five children filling jerrycans at a rural metal water pump with concrete base, at the bottom of a steep rocky hillside]]
The Rwandan government prioritised funding of water supply development during the 2000s, significantly increasing its share of the national budget.{{sfn|IDA|2009}} This funding, along with donor support, caused a rapid increase in access to safe water; in 2015, 74% of the population had access to safe water,{{sfn|Umutesi|2015}} up from about 55% in 2005;{{sfn|IDA|2009}} the government has committed to increasing this to 100% by 2017.{{sfn|Umutesi|2015}} The country's water infrastructure consists of urban and rural systems that deliver water to the public, mainly through standpipes in rural areas and private connections in urban areas. In areas not served by these systems, hand pumps and managed springs are used.{{sfn|MINECOFIN|2002|pp=25–26}} Despite rainfall exceeding {{convert|750|mm|in}} annually in most of the country,{{sfn|Berry|Lewis|Williams|1990|p=533}} little use is made of [[rainwater harvesting]], and residents are forced to use water very sparingly, relative to usage in other African countries.{{sfn|Umutesi|2015}} Access to [[Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda|sanitation]] remains low; the United Nations estimates that in 2006, 34% of urban and 20% of rural dwellers had access to [[improved sanitation]],{{sfn|USAID (I)|2008|p=3}} with this statistic increasing to 92% for the total population (95% urban and 91% urban) in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rwanda |first=UNICEF |author-link=UNICEF |date=Apr 2024 |title=Water, Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) Budget Brief |url=https://www.unicef.org/rwanda/media/5721/file/UNICEF_2023-24%20WASH%20Budget%20Brief_layout_corrections_25-3-24.pdf.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507153452/https://www.unicef.org/rwanda/media/5721/file/UNICEF_2023-24%20WASH%20Budget%20Brief_layout_corrections_25-3-24.pdf.pdf |archive-date=7 May 2024 |access-date=7 May 2024 |website=unicef.org}}</ref> Kigali is one of the cleanest cities in Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 April 2019 |title=Should You Visit Kigali? A look at the cleanest city in Africa |url=https://burdie.co/cleanest-city-in-africa |access-date=23 January 2021 |website=Burdie.co |language=en-US |archive-date=15 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173142/https://burdie.co/cleanest-city-in-africa |url-status=live}}</ref> Government policy measures to improve sanitation are limited, focusing only on urban areas.{{sfn|USAID (I)|2008|p=3}} The majority of the population, both urban and rural, use public shared [[pit latrine]]s.{{sfn|USAID (I)|2008|p=3}}

Rwanda's electricity supply was, until the early 2000s, generated almost entirely from [[hydroelectric]] sources; power stations on Lakes [[Lake Burera|Burera]] and [[Lake Ruhondo|Ruhondo]] provided 90% of the country's electricity.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=3}} A combination of below average rainfall and human activity, including the draining of the [[Rugezi wetlands]] for cultivation and grazing, caused the two lakes' water levels to fall from 1990 onwards; by 2004 levels were reduced by 50%, leading to a sharp drop in output from the power stations.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=5}} This, coupled with increased demand as the economy grew, precipitated a shortfall in 2004 and widespread [[loadshedding]].{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=5}} As an emergency measure, the government installed [[diesel generator]]s north of Kigali; by 2006 these were providing 56% of the country's electricity, but were very costly.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=5}} The government enacted a number of measures to alleviate this problem, including rehabilitating the Rugezi wetlands, which supply water to Burera and Ruhondo and investing in a scheme to extract methane gas from Lake Kivu, expected in its first phase to increase the country's power generation by 40%.{{sfn|AfDB|2011}} Only 18% of the population had access to electricity in 2012, though this had risen from 10.8% in 2009.{{sfn|World Bank (XIII)}} The government's Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2013–18 aims to increase access to electricity to 70% of households by 2017.{{sfn|Baringanire|Malik|Banerjee|2014|p=1}}

[[File:Rwanda electricity production.svg|thumb|Rwanda electricity production by source|upright=1.3]]

The government has increased investment in the [[Transport in Rwanda|transport infrastructure of Rwanda]] since the 1994 genocide, with aid from the United States, [[European Union]], Japan, and others. The transport system consists primarily of the road network, with paved roads between Kigali and most other major cities and towns in the country.{{sfn|AfDB|OECD Development Centre|2006|p=439}} Rwanda is linked by road to other countries in the East African Community, namely Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and [[Kenya]], as well as to the eastern Congolese cities of [[Goma]] and [[Bukavu]]; the country's most important trade route is the road to the port of [[Mombasa]] via [[Kampala]] and [[Nairobi]], which is known as the [[Northern Corridor]].{{sfn|Tancott|2014}} The principal form of public transport in the country is the [[minibus]], accounting for more than half of all passenger carrying capacity.{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=34}} Some minibuses, particularly in Kigali,{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=67}} operate an unscheduled service, under a [[shared taxi]] system,{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=32}} while others run to a schedule, offering express routes between the major cities. There are a smaller number of large buses,{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=34}} which operate a scheduled service around the country. The principal private hire vehicle is the [[motorcycle taxi]]; in 2013 there were 9,609 registered motorcycle taxis in Rwanda, compared with just 579 [[taxicab]]s.{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=34}} [[Coach (vehicle)|Coach]] services are available to various destinations in neighbouring countries. The country has an [[Kigali International Airport|international airport]] at Kigali that serves several international destinations, the busiest routes being those to [[JKIA|Nairobi]] and [[Entebbe International Airport|Entebbe]];{{sfn|Centre For Aviation|2014}} there is one domestic route, between Kigali and [[Kamembe Airport]] near [[Cyangugu]].{{sfn|Tumwebaze|2015}} In 2017, construction began on the [[Bugesera International Airport]], to the south of Kigali, which will become the country's largest when it opens, complementing the existing Kigali airport.{{sfn|MININFRA|2017}} The national carrier is [[RwandAir]], and the country is served by seven foreign airlines.{{sfn|Centre For Aviation|2014}} {{As of|2015}} the country had no railways, but there is a project underway, in conjunction with Burundi and Tanzania, to extend the Tanzanian [[Central Line (Tanzania)|Central Line]] into Rwanda; the three countries have invited expressions of interest from private firms to form a [[public private partnership]] for the scheme.{{sfn|Senelwa|2015}} There is no public water transport between the port cities on Lake Kivu, although a limited private service exists and the government has initiated a programme to develop a full service.{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=43}} The [[Ministry of Infrastructure (Rwanda)|Ministry of Infrastructure]] is also investigating the feasibility of linking Rwanda to [[Lake Victoria]] via shipping on the [[Akagera River]].{{sfn|MININFRA|2013|p=43}}