On Friday, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente recognized four districts for exemplary work in some fields as he was in charge of the domestic celebration of Umuganura in the Nyanza District of Southern Province.
Umuganura or the National Harvest Day that is rooted in the Rwandan tradition to celebrate the accomplishments of the year.
It is celebrated every first Friday of the month of August in Rwanda and it is a public holiday where citizens meet in their communities to celebrate their achievements and make resolutions for the next year.
During the ceremony in Nyanza, the Premier recognized four districts for being the highest performers this traditional year in four chosen fields ; with Nyagatare being the highest district in agriculture, Rubavu was the best in trade, Gasabo was the best in sector, while Rwamagana received the prize for service delivery.
“Umuganura is a time to celebrate but also to look back and check how we performed to know where to improve for a brighter future,” the premier said.
He observed that Rwandans have accomplished much worth celebrating in the previous year, including in the critical areas of agriculture where attempts have been made to boost output, in energy where more individuals have been attached to electricity, and in health care where facilities have been enhanced.
In agriculture, Ngirente observed that harvest increased primarily owing to land consolidation policy, particularly land used to grow multiple crops including maize, potatoes, rice, and cassava among others.
A commendable step in seed multiplication from within the nation was also accomplished, the Premier said, which is consistent with the goals of providing seed to farmers at affordable rates.
In trade and sectors, he said farmers were trained to estimate prices by considering their investment, inputs, and production so they could sell their produce at sensible rates.
In the region of trade, the Prime Minister observed that many attempts were made to decrease non- tariff barriers by easing the motion of products, supporting the Made-in-Rwanda strategy, and constructing numerous industrial parks and special economic zones across the nation.
The Prime Minister encouraged Rwandans, particularly the youth, to continue the hard work to improve themselves and their nation.
“I would like to request you to value labour and be courageous. Especially, I recommend the youth, the hope and the future of our country, to get to work for it will make them prosper,” he said.
He encouraged them to always use the country’s possibilities, such as vocational training, capital grants through BDF (Business Development Fund), and more government aid to generate their own employment.
At the event in Nyanza, cows were also given to three struggling families as a seed capital provided by the government to raise the cows and improve their lives.
This year the National Harvest Day was organized under the theme of “Umuganura as a source of unity and a foundation for self-reliance”.
The ceremony was also held across the nation at the village level where citizens came together to celebrate it by exchanging staple food and beverages as they also drew up plans for the next ‘ traditional year.