Foreign investors speak of it as one of the safest places in Africa, as well as one of the least corrupt, and it is not only their opinion. It is a fact that has been achieved through immense efforts by the Government and the people of Rwanda. Key programs covering Unity and Reconciliation, Decentralization, the Gacaca court system to dispose Genocide cases and other Community/local Government activities have collectively contributed to the peaceful and secure Rwanda of Today! Also, Rwanda has a development-oriented Government committed to the transformation of the economy into a regional hub for services and industry. The development Roadmap Vision 2020 specifies development targets for the country.
Clean, committed and peaceful, Rwanda is now an investment location well worth considering.
Rwanda is a hilly, landlocked and densely populated country with serious problems related to land scarcity. Geographically, Rwanda is situated east of Central Africa between 1004’ and 2051’ latitude south and between 28053’ and 30053’ longitude east. The shortest distance to the ocean is 1,200 km long.
Rwanda is a very hilly country, with steep slopes ravaged by massive and devastating soil erosion which is exacerbated by overstripping of land, deforestation, and inadequate use of land improvement techniques. The relief of the country can be divided into three distinct types stretching from west to east. To the west is the Congo-Nile watershed that rises over Lake Kivu. To the north is a chain of volcanoes, and to the east are the lowlands. The central part of the country has an altitude of between 1,500 m and 2,000 m, with stretched hills and more or less rounded hilltops separated by large valleys.
This type of relief covers almost half of the country and has earned Rwanda the nickname of the “Land of a Thousand Hills”.
With more or less constant temperatures throughout the year (16 – 170C in the high altitudes, 180C – 210C in the central plateau and 200C – 240C in the eastern and western lowlands), Rwanda has an equatorial-continental temperate type of climate classified as AW3, according to the Köppen classification. The country has four seasons which are determined by the variability of rainfall. However, the rainfall is quite irregular and gives rise to prolonged drought periods, especially in the regions of Bugesera, Mayaga and Umutara, causing serious setbacks to agricultural activities that are totally dependent on rainfall.