The Rwanda Development Board is a government body responsible for bringing together all government agencies in charge of protecting and conserving tourist attractions, retaining and facilitating investments in the country. It is a parastatal body that was founded in 2009 with the main aim of boosting the country’s tourism, investments, export promotions, and conservation.
The institution is mainly responsible for managing, conserving, and improving Rwanda’s ecosystems, environmental development, and tourism sustainability, including wildlife conservation areas such as Volcanoes National Park, Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, game reserves, sanctuaries, lakes, rivers, and swamps.
The institution is also responsible for overseeing the country’s protected areas, developing Rwanda’s tourism industry, and supporting private companies to improve the livelihoods of the people of Rwanda.
In addition, RDB is responsible for marketing Rwanda’s tourism attractions and has played an important role in growing the country’s tourism sector. Rwanda is now ranked as the top gorilla trekking destination ahead of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the tragic genocide of 1994 that claimed the lives of over 800,000 people.
According to statistics, Rwanda is one of the few countries in East Africa with many ultra-luxury hotels and tourism-related services.
The authority is also responsible for reserving and selling gorilla permits and handling all related transactions on behalf of the government. It also plans for the tourism sector, supports community conservation projects, employs conservation staff, and develops infrastructure.
The body is responsible for selling all permits, such as gorilla permits in Volcanoes National Park, chimpanzee trekking permits in Nyungwe National Park, golden monkey trekking permits, hiking permits, and designing trekking certificates for tourists.
RDB employs and deploys rangers and guides to different national parks in Rwanda and promotes community conservation projects. These projects improve the well-being of local people living near the parks by educating them about the benefits of national parks and other attractions, which has helped reduce encroachment on park resources and poaching.
The board has worked hard to ensure that at least 5% of the revenue collected from national park entry fees is returned to communities. This is used to build infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, good roads, safe water supplies, and other services that benefit people living near the protected areas.
Additionally, the body compensates people whose property is destroyed by wild animals that escape from the protected areas.
Rwanda Development Board also facilitates the training of Rwandan nationals who want to become guides. As a result, the country has well-trained personnel who are knowledgeable about Rwanda’s history, ecosystem, geography, national parks, and other protected areas like Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park, and Gishwati-Mukura National Park.
The board, together with private companies, has built learning institutions, employed trainers, and provided them with the necessary resources to encourage more people to join the tourism sector.
It regulates and issues tourism licenses, provides tax waivers, offers investment advisory services, allocates serviced land, trains tourism staff, and supports them in many other roles.
The body is not only involved in tourism but also plays a role in the development of urban centers and cities.
Rwanda Development Board is considered an important government agency in Rwanda and one of the most successful organizations in the country, with qualified and passionate staff.
