Rwanda: ‘RwandAir not profitable, but catalytic for economy’ – finance minister

By Nicholas Norbrook

Posted on Wednesday, 17 March 2021 13:11
Rwandan finance and economic planning minister Uzziel Ndagijimana carries a briefcase containing the budget the 2019/2020 fiscal year. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana

Rwanda is pumping money into the tourism sector, which has badly been hit by Covid-19 says Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Uzziel Ndagijimana. He believes the partnership between RwandAir and Qatar Airways will help put the country in a better place to benefit from the post-Covid economic upswing.

While the impact of Covid-19 has been felt in all sectors, says Uzziel Ndagijimana in a video interview with The Africa Report, some have been hit harder than others. Tourism, in particular, has been knocked sideways by the coronavirus pandemic.

Having bet big on the sector over the past few years – the Rwandan government underwrote the creation of the Kigali Convention Centre – the collapse of tourist numbers has been tough.