Rwanda Economic Update, December 2013 : Seizing Opportunities for Growth

Rwanda's economic growth slowed in the first half of 2013. Weighed by a slowdown in domestic demand, the economy grew at a modest rate. Decelerating GDP growth mirrored the low growth of services and was the lowest half-year growth rate since 2010, when the domestic economy was hard hit by the combination of the global financial crisis and a domestic credit crunch. This edition of the Rwanda Economic Update examines three key issues: 1) the cause for the economic slowdown; 2) whether the economic slowdown is temporary, or the beginning of further deceleration, and the forecasted growth for 2014; and 3) policy options for the authorities.