An overview of Rwanda's Home-Grown Solutions 

Home Grown Solutions (HGS) are Rwanda’s ‘trade mark’ solutions developed by Rwandans based on local opportunities, cultural values and history to fast track their development.

As provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 amended in 2015, Rwandans, based on their values, initiate home-grown mechanisms to deal with matters that concern them in order to build the nation, promote national culture, and restore dignity. Being locally created, HGS are appropriate to the local development context and have been the bedrock of Rwanda's reconstruction and transformation journey after the Genocide against Tutsi.

HGS became key drivers in the implementation of Vision 2020, helped the country to address its pressing issues and lifting millions of its population out of extreme poverty. Furthermore, HGS significantly contributed for Rwanda to achieving MDGs targets and they are expected to play an important role in the implementation of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), Vision 2050 and in achieving SDGs targets. 

RGB has the following mission in relation to HGS: 

• To preserve, protect and promote the use of Home Grown Solutions (HGS) and Good Practices (GP) in Rwanda and devise strategies meant for applying them efficiently;
• To give pre-authorization and follow up studies and researches carried out in Rwanda on governance and HGS whether by a Rwandan or a foreigner.

To fulfil the above mandate, RGB conducts research to assess whether a given innovation qualifies  as a Home-Grown Solution, thus, confirmed HGS are protected both locally and internationally.

HGS Protection

RGB in partnership with different stakeholders developed criteria for a certain innovation to qualify as a Home-Grown Solution. Those criteria are:

1. An innovation that has proved to be a solution to a particular problem;
2. An innovation or initiative rooted in the Rwandan cultural heritage and values;
3. An innovation or initiative crafted from Rwanda’s post-genocide political philosophy and transformational leadership;
4. An innovative solution drawn from foreign and global ideas or practices, adapted and customized with Rwanda’s methodology, context, and inputs, to effectively respond to contemporary challenges;
5. An innovation that addresses a challenge in a new and different way often through a simpler and more effective approaches.

Innovations that were qualified as HGS based on the above criteria are protected both locally and internationally in order to mitigate their unauthorized use.

Locally protected HGS

Abunzi Committees, Gacaca, Girinka, Imihigo, Ndi Umunyarwanda, Ubudehe, Umuganda, Umwiherero, Umushyikirano, Kwita Izina

Internationally Protected HGS

Abunzi , Imihigo, Umushyikirano