Background
In
1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic
group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next
several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven
into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later
formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front and began a civil war
in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals,
exacerbated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in the genocide
of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated
the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2
million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to
neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then most of
the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international
assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local
elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost
investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A
series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist
insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four
years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.
Rwanda
is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly
subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in
Africa; landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry.
Primary exports are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated
Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population,
particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private
and external investment. However, Rwanda has made significant progress
in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and
inflation has been curbed. Rwanda received approval for debt relief
from the IMF in late 2000 and continued to make progress on inflation,
privatization, and GDP growth in 2001. However, export earnings were
hindered by low global coffee prices, depriving the country of much
needed hard currency. President KAGAME is encouraging investors to take
advantage of export opportunities in Rwanda based on its membership in
the COMESA free trade area and its access to the US and the EU markets
through preferential trade agreements.
Holidays
Jan 1 - New Year's Day
Jan 28 - Democracy Day
Apr 7 - Genocide Memorial(National Mourning) Day
May 1 - Labour Day
Jul 1 - Independence Day
Jul 4 - Liberation Day
Jul 15 - Peace and Unity Day
Aug 1 - Harvest Festival
Aug 15 - Assumption
Sep 8 - Culture Day
Sep 25 - Republic (Kamarampaka) Day
Oct 1 - Armed Forces Day
Nov 1 - All Saints Day
Dec 25 - Christmas Day
Dec 26 - Boxing Day
Phone Codes
Country Code: 250
There are no area codes
Resources
Market Research
CIA - The World Factbook - Rwandese Republic
This
website indicates a wide range of detail information about Rwandese
Republic by introducing under 8 different fields as its
geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation,
military, transnational issues.
About Rwanda
There
is available to find out Rwanda's general outlook on the issues of its
social and business profile, passport/visa, money, accommodation,
government, duty free, health and so forth.
Rwanda Business
Mbendi
serves as business oriented directory providing an ultimate African
Business Source for the potential investors seeking new business
opportunities in Rwanda including the list of industries for Rwanda. .
Investment Climate in Rwanda
There is available a comprehensive analysis on the investment climate in Rwanda.
Business Directory - Rwanda
Wow-directory
offers business resources and services by creating cross-referenced
categories in business opportunities for Rwanda as business to
business, classifieds, cooperatives, directories, organizations &
trade.
Rwanda - INDEX
There
is available to find out a list of sites were you can expect to find
specific information about Rwanda when searching their database on the
word "Rwanda".
U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs - For Republic of Rwanda
U.S.
Bureau of Consular Affairs creates a wide range of research named as
Consular Information Sheet about Rwanda in terms of analyzing its
social, political, cultural & economic environments.
African Studies: Rwanda
There is a wide range of research about Rwanda business & economic profile.
Rwanda News
There is available to find Rwanda business, economic and political news sponsored by Topix.net.
Trade Information
Embassy Listings For Rwanda
There are listed the embassies of the republic of Rwanda including the embassies' contact information.
Rwanda Government Online
It displays the structure of Rwandan government by looking at its political units, branches, ministries and so forth in details.
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