Challenges

Having made such notable achievements, Rwanda still contends with certain challenges which the government is working hard to surmount. Women in Rwanda account for more than 54 percent of Rwanda’s population and 30 percent of rural households are headed by women with most of them being food insecure. Agriculture, which most of the rural dwellers depend on, is not dependable and is grossly underdeveloped, owing mainly to environmental factors and the absence of modern technology in farming. Rural agriculture, in which women are mostly engaged, consists of small plots of less than 1 hectare on which rain-fed grain crops are cultivated, traditional livestock reared and vegetables planted. Only a small percentage of farmers, who are mostly men, are engaged in cash crops production. Therefore, female headed households in rural areas are the most vulnerable since they have little access to land and some of them are landless. What is needed at this point is for the Government of Rwanda to focus attention on empowering female rural dwellers with necessary skills and resources needed to exceed their current income levels. But despite the above challenges, Rwanda’s record in terms of women empowerment has made it a beacon of light for Africa and the rest of the world. (The writer is senior lecturer/researcher at the University of Rwanda College of Business and Economics)