Economic Issues Surrounding The Rwandan Genocide

he well-being of a nation’s people lies in the hands of its economy. Rwanda, a nation that was involved in a gruesome genocide, had it’s economy severely crippled in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide. Rwanda’s economy thrived off the nation’s exports and its label as an “international tourist country”. However, in the aftermath of the genocide, the nation’s economy was driven into a steep decline as it was not only in the midst of a war with the Rwandan Patriotic Front, but it also had lost thousands of potential tourists and their tourist money in the process. The country and its citizens had to persevere through poverty-stricken times, despite all of this, the country has managed to rejuvenate its economy. Today, Rwanda’s economy is booming

A nation’s economy is completely contingent upon its “quality of living” for its citizens. The “quality of living” standards in Rwanda have skyrocketed in the past few years. Increased population, life expectancy, and education spending have all attributed to the enhancement of civilian life in Rwanda. In particular population density has risen extremely in Rwanda, “in 1995, that figure was 230, and by 2011 it was 452” (Provost). Due to the increase in population and population density, there are more consumers leading to an increase in consumption spending, that in turn increases Real Gross Domestic Product. The increase in the life expectancy number has also had a tremendously positive impact on the Rwandan Economy. Prior to 2000, the average life expectancy in Rwanda was around forty-eight years old. In 2011, it was more than 62. This leap in life expectancy also caused a jump in the GDP per capita in Rwanda. When the life expectancy was 48 years old, the GDP per capita in Rwanda was $206.65 USD. Furthermore, when the life expectancy was 62 years old, the GDP per capita was a whopping $574.89 USD. The prime reason behind this is productivity. If these citizens are living longer that means that they are automatically more productive as they

In particular, the United States is very giving in their attempt and mission to make Rwanda a “middle-class state by 2020” (usaid.gov). This is apart of the United States’ “2020 vision plan”, and statistics show that Rwanda is on its way to that goal. One remarkable statistic that embodies this whole mission is that poverty has dropped from 60% to 40% from 2011 to 2014. The money that the United States is giving Rwanda makes up approximately 20% of their GDP, and plays a critical role in the growth of their economy. The money given to the nation is put into the promotion of activities and regulations that welcome more investment and trade for Rwanda. Perhaps the leading beneficiary of foreign growth in Rwanda is the Agriculture sector. That has shown arguably the most growth and has helped the country’s fight against malnourishment and also its exports to other countries. In retrospect, foreign aid from western nations has been proven to have a profound impact on Rwanda