Skip to main content

How To Talk To Rwandan Rulers: First Flatter Them, And Then Hit Hard With Truth

Lagarde was only warming up. Here she is with another flattery: "Since the early 2000s, Rwanda has grown at an average of about 8 percent—well above the regional average and on par with emerging Asia. Per capita income has more than trebled, and while poverty is still high—at about 45 percent of the population—the poorest have shared the benefits of growth. This is a remarkable feat."
And then she hits them below the belt:
"Mobilizing domestic revenues will be critical in creating fiscal space as reliance on aid gradually recedes. At 16 percent of GDP, the tax collection effort is still low compared to peers in Africa, and well below the 25 percent target set by the East African Community."
In plain language: you guys get serious. You cannot claim success when your economy is driven by aid which remains as high as 15 percent of GDP and 40 percent of your government spending. This is no success story. Low tax collection makes you a lousy performer even by African standards. This means your country hardly has any private sector to tax!
Lagarde gives another blow: "Rwanda has made important strides over the years, such as cutting red tape for construction permits, making it easier to get electricity, and strengthening the legal rights of borrowers and lenders. At 46 out of 189 countries in 2015, Rwanda is now in the top three sub-Saharan performers according to the World Bank Doing Business Indicators. Even so, infrastructure gaps continue to hold back the private sector from flourishing. In particular, key infrastructure projects in transportation, water and energy need to come on stream to unlock its full potential."
In plain language - your Doing Business ind  How To Talk To Rwandan Rulers: First Flatter Them, And Then Hit Hard With Truth

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Al Shabaab Benefited from Western Destruction of Libyan State

Al Shabaab, the Islamic terrorist group that has just laid siege to a Kenyan university, killing nearly 150 people, benefited from the 2011 Western aggression that backed al Qaeda and affiliated militias to destroy the state of Libya: Libyan arms that went missing during the fighting to remove Col Muammar Gaddafi are now spreading even further afield…     Al Shabaab Benefited from Western Destruction of Libyan State
Post a Comment
Read more

A Black South African Woman’s Journey to Atheism

South Africa is one of the least religious countries in Africa. About 15 percent of the population identifies as having no religious affiliation and that includes atheists. While some would argue that the country’s non-theistic demography is mainly white, there is a growing number of black South Africans who are atheists and who do not profess any religion. So, the religious demography in the country is undergoing a rapid change. Recently I conversed with a black South African woman, Nosipho, who narrated how she abandoned her Christian faith and embraced atheism: “I am 39 years and was raised by my grandparents, my mother had me when she was just completing school and when she got married, my grandparents thought it was better that they raised me. My grandparents both attended Assemblies of God and so I grew up having to compulsorily attend church. I therefore became aware of "Jesus the Savior" early in my life and of course the promise of heaven through Jesus and Hell if ...
Post a Comment
Read more