{"id":106013,"date":"2025-07-23T15:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery"},"modified":"2025-07-23T16:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T16:34:17","slug":"govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery","title":{"rendered":"Govt Enhances Kinyarwanda Use in Service Delivery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>The government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to promote the wider use of Kinyarwanda across all sectors of national life, positioning the language as a key driver of unity, cultural pride, and transformational governance.<\/p>\n

In a newly adopted Sports and Culture Sector Strategic Plan (SSP) 2024\u20132029, the government highlights the limited use of Kinyarwanda in education, administration, business, and media as a persistent challenge.<\/p>\n

To address this, the plan outlines ambitious measures aimed at strengthening the role of Kinyarwanda in daily communication and service delivery.<\/p>\n

These measures include developing updated Kinyarwanda vocabulary to reflect technological and societal changes, launching nationwide awareness campaigns targeting artists, journalists, parents, students, and institutions, and introducing policy guidelines to encourage the language\u2019s use in key service sectors.<\/p>\n

The strategy also integrates the preservation of Kinyarwanda into broader civic education efforts through the revitalization of the Itorero program at all levels including schools, villages, and Rwandan communities abroad\u2014emphasising the language as a foundation of national values.<\/p>\n

The Rwanda Cultural and Heritage Academy (RCHA) will lead efforts to monitor the use of Kinyarwanda across institutions, noting a baseline of 49% usage in private institutions as of 2023\/2024. The plan aims for a 10% annual increase in usage over the next five years.<\/p>\n

Speaking to The New Times, Robert Masozera, Director General of the RCHA, stressed that the promotion of Kinyarwanda goes beyond linguistics\u2014it is a cultural imperative.<\/p>\n

\u201cKinyarwanda is more than a communication tool; it is the vessel of our values, the foundation of our unity, and the thread that binds us as a people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is through Kinyarwanda that we express our identity, transmit knowledge, and pass on our heritage,\u201d Masozera said.<\/p>\n

Despite 99.7% of Rwandans speaking Kinyarwanda, according to the Fifth General Population and Housing Census (2022), challenges remain in accessing services in their mother tongue.<\/p>\n

A 2022\u20132023 study by the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture (RALC) found that 12.7% of people reported difficulties when services were provided in foreign languages; 19.5% needed clarification; 5.8% lacked sufficient information in non-Kinyarwanda languages; 19.5% experienced service delays; and 42.5% did not understand written content in foreign languages.<\/p>\n

For many professionals, this language gap starts in education.<\/p>\n

Elvis Kwizera, a lawyer in Kigali, highlighted the disconnect between university training and professional realities.<\/p>\n

\u201cCourt proceedings are often conducted entirely in Kinyarwanda, yet we were never taught legal terminology in Kinyarwanda at university,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels like starting a whole new course after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He called for integrating Kinyarwanda technical vocabulary into university curricula to better prepare students for the local job market.<\/p>\n

Ce\u0301line Umutesi, a journalist at Igihe, shared similar concerns about journalism education.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of what you learn will be applied here in Rwanda. That\u2019s why it\u2019s better to start learning how to communicate effectively with the community you\u2019ll serve,\u201d she said, adding that waiting to acquire these skills during internships or on the job leaves young journalists at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n

She stressed the journalist\u2019s role as the voice of the community: \u201cIf you can\u2019t communicate with them properly, then you have failed as a journalist.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the broader cultural revival, seven new studies on Kinyarwanda, Rwandan culture, and values will be commissioned. The plan also prioritises digitising heritage collections and promoting the language through creative industries\u2014especially music, film, and education.<\/p>\n

With strong government backing and measurable goals, officials say the renewed focus on Kinyarwanda will strengthen national identity and inclusion while safeguarding Rwanda\u2019s cultural heritage for future generations.<\/p>\n

A linguist\u2019s perspective<\/b><\/p>\n

Bernard Gatabazi, a Kinyarwanda lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said the sidelining of the national language is especially evident in education and public services.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some cases, Rwandan children study only in English or French, and Kinyarwanda is sidelined\u2014even at home, where parents encourage children to speak English, as if Kinyarwanda has no value,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He cited challenges across sectors\u2014from hospitals to banks to airports\u2014where essential information is often unavailable in Kinyarwanda.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt hospitals, prescriptions are often written in English or French. How are senior citizens who don\u2019t have formal education expected to understand them without someone interpreting? The same goes for banks, where forms are only in English. Ordinary citizens end up asking for help just to fill a form,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He referenced research, including a Master\u2019s thesis on the marginal use of Kinyarwanda in banking services, to underscore the issue.<\/p>\n

Gatabazi emphasized the importance of targeting young people, noting that \u201clanguage carries culture\u201d and cautioning against distorting Kinyarwanda through careless usage. He also recommended incorporating Kinyarwanda components in job interviews to assess candidates\u2019 capacity to serve the local population effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many ideas, but we will keep working together and raising awareness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. The government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to promote the wider use of Kinyarwanda across all sectors of national life, positioning the language as a key driver of unity, cultural pride, and transformational governance. In a newly adopted Sports and Culture Sector Strategic Plan (SSP) 2024\u20132029, the government highlights the limited use […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":106012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,17],"tags":[7676,2929,7677,758,7678],"class_list":["post-106013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-itorero-program","tag-kinyarwanda","tag-robert-masozera","tag-rwanda","tag-rwanda-academy-of-language-and-culture-ralc"],"yoast_head":"\nGovt Enhances Kinyarwanda Use in Service Delivery - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to promote the wider use of Kinyarwanda across all sectors of natio ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Govt Enhances Kinyarwanda Use in Service Delivery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to promote the wider use of Kinyarwanda across all sectors of natio ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-23T15:45:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-23T16:34:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/07\/sm_1753274675.552115.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"639\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Govt Enhances Kinyarwanda Use in Service Delivery\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-23T15:45:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-23T16:34:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\"},\"wordCount\":804,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/07\/sm_1753274675.552115.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"itorero program\",\"Kinyarwanda\",\"robert masozera\",\"Rwanda\",\"Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture (RALC)\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Culture and Art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/govt-enhances-kinyarwanda-use-in-service-delivery\",\"name\":\"Govt Enhances Kinyarwanda Use in Service Delivery - 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