Foreign Direct Investment in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone and its Impact on Rwanda’s Economic Reconstruction

Authors

Sabrina Roberts, SIT Study AbroadFollow

Home Institution

Middlebury College

Publication Date

Fall 2019

Program Name

Rwanda: Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding

Abstract

Vision 2020 is a development strategy implemented by the Rwandan government. It aims to make Rwanda a middle-income country with a per capita income of $1240 USD. One pillar of this strategy is increasing regional and international integration. The Kigali Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) was created in direct response to this pillar.

The paper begins with an introduction to Rwanda’s post-conflict economic situation and goes on to describe and explain the role that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the KSEZ has played in reconstructing the Rwandan economy. The study focuses on the impacts of the KSEZ and the significance of these impacts. To realize this investigation, I visited the KSEZ, conducted structured interviews and completed a rigorous review of secondary sources.

This paper concludes that in the short term, the KSEZ has made a modest contribution to FDI in Rwanda, but, has not made a significant impact on Rwanda’s economic reconstruction. No significant losers have been identified, so, it is advised that the country continue to invest in increasing regional and international integration to reap the potential long-term benefits of FDI in the KSEZ.

Disciplines

African History | African Languages and Societies | African Studies | Economic Policy | Growth and Development | Peace and Conflict Studies | Politics and Social Change | Regional Economics | Social and Cultural Anthropology

Recommended Citation

Roberts, Sabrina, "Foreign Direct Investment in Kigali’s Special Economic Zone and its Impact on Rwanda’s Economic Reconstruction" (2019). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3133.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3133