Statistics from the Government of Rwanda show that tourism generated around $620 million in 2023--a tidy sum, especially for a country like ours, which lacks the extensive offerings of neighbouring Tanzania.
Tanzania not only boasts the Serengeti and Mount Kilimanjaro but also the beaches of Zanzibar.
However, our government is not resting on its laurels. It aims for even greater achievements. On Monday, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente presented the Government's five-year strategic plan, known as the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), to a joint session of Parliament.
Addressing Rwanda's tourism goals, the Prime Minister revealed the Government's expectation that by 2029, tourism will bring in an impressive $1.2 billion. According to NST2, to reach this target, the government will increase investments in sports and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) tourism.
Naturally, the government is not the only player that will need to invest more to achieve this growth--the private sector must also step up.
For every global conference that the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB) secures for the Kigali Convention Center in the next five years, our private sector must ensure that delegates spend their per diems within the country.
They should be spending money in our restaurants, bars, nightspots, curio shops, and with tour companies. The same applies to tourists coming to see our majestic gorillas. We need to ensure that when they leave from Kanombe (or Bugesera) Airport, they have little more than a few dollars to spend on duty-free items as they head home.
To meet these tourism goals and ensure the sector operates at full capacity, there needs to be cooperation and collaboration between industry players, regulators (such as the Rwanda Development Board and RCB), and support institutions like local government and law enforcement.
Everyone needs to pull in the same direction. Unfortunately, an incident I witnessed over the weekend involving what I would call overzealous police action makes me question whether this is happening.
On Friday evening, I was at Choma'd, a well-known restaurant, when an officer of the National Police entered the premises. The officer accused the restaurant management of violating noise pollution guidelines and, without much further discussion, confiscated the restaurant's laptop, threatening to arrest the manager if any music was played--at any volume.
First of all, I fully support our noise pollution laws and guidelines. Like anyone, I appreciate a good night's sleep. However, I also take pride in living in a country governed by laws and regulations, which must be followed by all--weak and strong alike.
What I witnessed that evening wasn't the fair enforcement of noise regulations for restaurants and entertainment venues. Instead, I saw a police officer disregard the regulations agreed upon by tourism authorities.
The officer should not have entered the premises without representatives from the Rwanda Development Board and the local sector office. Yet he did. He was also supposed to measure the noise level and share the findings with the restaurant's management, which he did not do.
As a result, customers left the establishment that night, and the business owner lost money. And the government lost tax revenue that would have been generated by the establishment.
I want to emphasise that I have no problem with enforcing laws and guidelines when they are being broken. However, if we have systems in place to ensure fairness and collaboration, then those systems must be followed--especially by those in power.
The reality is that Kigali is evolving rapidly. It's no longer the quiet town of our youth. Neighbourhoods like Kimihurura and Niboye, once zoned as strictly residential areas by the City of Kigali, are now designated as mixed-use areas.
This means bars, restaurants, and nightclubs now operate alongside private homes. Naturally, this change has inconvenienced some residents, as these businesses inevitably generate noise. Interestingly, the conflict between businesses and their neighbours often arises not from music, but from the noise of patrons talking and laughing.
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So, what can be done? We could ban music in all bars and restaurants, but that would likely come at a cost we can't afford--and it wouldn't solve the issue of noise from people socialising.
Alternatively, we could recognize that we live in a densely populated, hilly country where sound travels great distances. As we build and grow, we must accept that noise is part of modern city living, especially in mixed-use areas.
If you choose to live next to a bar, you must be prepared for noise. The options are to live with it, move to a fully residential area, or install noise-reducing windows. After all, how do people manage in New York, the city that never sleeps? They figure it out--and so should we.
