Rwanda: Do-Gooders Can Only Do So Much

Posted by: Steve Hamm on March 19

I have received a bunch of responses to my posting about Rwanda as a social innovation hot spot. The most recent one made some good points—things that I had been thinking about, too. It’s from a Rwandan government official, Yolande Makolo. I’m quoting in full below. The key point I want to reinforce is that no matter how many innovative Western do-gooders a developing country attracts, it will succeed or fail based on the quality of its leaders and the efforts of its citizens. Full stop.

Steve Hamm’s story of social innovation in Rwanda as exemplified by the Liquidnet-supported Agahozo Shalom Youth Village is a great example of a mutually beneficial partnership between a progressive private company and government that is mindful of the needs of Rwandans that has changed the lives of the 125 vulnerable young people now living at the village.

However, the country has a long way to go in order to improve lives and create lasting prosperity for all citizens. The primary responsibility for this task lies with the people of Rwanda who have made a determined break with the past by rallying around a common vision of national unity and development.

In 1994, 90% of Rwanda’s budget was funded by foreign aid – today this has dropped to 44%. This is the result of the hard work and resilience of Rwandans, the country’s far-sighted leadership and commitment to private sector growth as the engine for economic development and prosperity.

Rwanda will continue to need assistance from donors to maintain the country’s development but we know that what works is “good aid”, meaning budget support that is predictable, tied to specific agreed actions and whose disbursement, use and impact is jointly monitored and assessed by recipient and donor country.

The government of Rwanda’s relationship with the UK government is a good example of bilateral cooperation that features effective use of development aid, beneficial impact and accountability for all stakeholders.

Indeed the international community watched as an otherwise preventable genocide took a million lives. It is important to note that Rwanda today neither expects nor wants guilt-driven charity, but instead welcomes partners who identify, want to be associated with, and can also benefit from our vision for social and economic development, wealth creation and ultimately independence from foreign aid.

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Innovation is happening everywhere these days. Companies operate without borders to find the best talent and the best ideas wherever they may be. Meanwhile, new business models are arising that just might make it possible to turn large swaths of this contentious world into something approximating a true global village. Tune in for Senior Writer Steve Hamm's dispatches from the intersection of globalization, innovation, and leadership.

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