RwandAir Bankrupting Rwanda

Bams said:

Katika mambo ambayo nimeshindwa kabisa kumwelewa Rais Magufuli ni kuamua kupeleka hela yetu yote, ambayo ni kidogo na inapatikana kwa shida, kwenye miradi ambayo ni ya hasara au faida yake ni ya muda mrefu sana.

Ndege
Mataifa ambayo yana opportunities nyingine zenye uwezo wa kuwaletea faida, hayapotezi kuwekeza kwenye usafiri wa anga. Nchi kama Rwanda, Burundi, Holland, Ethiopia, UAE (Dubai) wana sababu za msingi kuwekeza sana kwenye usafiri wa anga. Mataifa haya yana upungufu wa vivutio asilia vya utalii, maeneo madogo ya ardhi, hawana madini, wala mafuta wala gas (Dubai wanayo kiasi lakini siyo kiasi kikubwa). Sisi tumekosa nini mpaka tuone kuwa usafiri wa anga utatupatia faida kubwa ukilinganisha na fursa nyingi ambazo Taifa linazo? Mwerevu siku zote, ukitaka kumshinda mpinzani wako ni lazima utazame uwezo ulio nao ambao mshindani wako hana. You compete using your strengths and not your weaknesses.

Rais Magufuli, unaweza kudharau ushauri wa kila mtu lakini kuwekeza heavily kwenye usafiri wa anga, siyo uamuzi sahihi. Kama hutaelewa leo, kuna siku utaelewa na nafsi yako itaumia maisha yako yote kwa kuwafukarisha Watanzania kupitia maamuzi mabaya ya uwekezaji.

Umeme
Umeme ni nishati muhimu lakini ni ukweli kuwa TANESCO haijawahi kutengeneza faida hata mwaka mmoja. TANESCO inastahili kuendeshwa kwa ubia na sekta binafsi ili kuiondoa kwenye uendeshaji wa kisiasa ambao haujawahi kutupatia tija yoyote. Lakini kwa nini twende kwenye umeme wa maji wakati ambao mataifa mengi Duniani yanaondoka huko? Kwa nini jitihada za umeme wa gas zilizokuwa zikiendelea zimetupwa tu na halafu tunakwenda kwenye mradi mpya? Nalo hili kwa wakati huu haukuwa uamuzi sahihi.

Reli
Tunahitaji sana usafiri wa reli lakini siyo kila usafiri wa reli una faida kwa Taifa na kwa wananchi. Mradi wa reli ulitakiwa kuwekewa mazingira ya kuiwezesha sekta binafsi kuwekeza huko kwa kushirikiana na serikali. Serikali haijawahi kufanikiwa kuendesha mradi wowote wa biashara kwa mafanikio. Uamuzi wa kujenga reli mpaka Dodoma, nao ni kosa kubwa. Usafiri wa reli faida yake hutokana na usafirishaji wa mizigo, Dodoma kuna mizigo gani ya kuchukua na kupeleka? Ubuyu? Tulitakiwa kuwekeza kwenye miradi yenye faida kubwa ili baadaye tuwe na uwezo wa kuwekeza kwenye miradi yenye faida ndogo. Mtu mwerevu maskini hakopi gari ya kutembelea kwenda shambani bali atakopa tractor azalishe mazao na baadaye ndiyo afikirie gari la kutembelea, kuliko kukazania kusema kuwa ni muhimu sana kuwa na gari kwa sababu litakufikisha shambani na baadaye litasaidia kubeba mazao (ambayo hayapo).

Click to expand...

sawa said:

RwandAir Bankrupting Rwanda

Open Letter To Presidents Yoweri Museveni And John Magufuli



Excellencies:

It is widely reported that you want to establish and expand your national airlines. Apparently, Uganda is set to relaunch Uganda Airlines in November 2018 which ceased to operate in 2001. My unsolicited advice to you is that you should seriously consider other options before you invest heavily in a national airline. Building a successful airline is easier said than done.

On paper, RwandAir looks impressive



Excellencies:

It may be tempting to follow Rwanda’s example of building what appears to be a successful airline. Indeed, RwandAir looks impressive from a distance.

RwandAir began operations in 2002 as the new national carrier under the name Rwandair Express. In 2009, the airline’s name was changed to RwandAir. Its fleet currently comprises:

Two Airbus A330

Four Boeing 737–800

Two Boeing 737–700

Two CRJ900

Two Bombardier Q-400

The airline has considerably expanded its operations. RwandAir serves twenty-two cities in western, central, eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The airline has also applied for landing rights in the United States at JFK International Airport, New York.



By 2016, RwandAir’s total assets stood at US$238 Million. RwandAir’s fleet, operations across 22 destinations, and total assets all seem impressive. But unfortunately there is a devastatingly gloomy side to RwandAir.

But RwandAir has a gloomy side

Excellencies, a closer look at RwandAir’s state of affairs shows us the real situation. RwandAir’s financial statements from 2013 to 2016 reveal how the airline is bankrupting Rwanda. The circumstances of RwandAir may be summed as follows:

Total assets — US$238 Million by 2016;

Accumulated losses between 2013 and 2016 — US$222 Million;

Accumulated grants from the government between 2013 and 2016 — US$192 Million;

Accumulated government loans — US$238 Million;

Accumulated loans from outside government sources — US$100.6 Million.

Let us look more closely at RwandAir’s realities from 2013 to 2016.



In 2013, RwandAir made a loss of US$48.2 Million. The government stepped in with a grant of US$54 Million.



In 2014, RwandAir made a loss of US$65.8 Million. The government had to pump into the money-losing airline US$28.4 Million. In addition, RwandAir acquired loans amounting to US$88.7 Million in 2013, and US$148.8 Million in 2014.

In 2015, RwandAir made a loss of US$53.4 Million. The government had to pump into the money-losing airline US$56.2 Million.



In addition, RwandAir acquired loans amounting to US$88.7 Million in 2013, and US$148.8 Million in 2014.

In 2016, RwandAir made a loss of US$54.8 Million. The government pumped in US$53.8 Million.



RwandAir is bankrupting Rwanda

The overall picture of RwandAir is ugly. By 2016, RwandAir had accumulated US$222 Million in losses. The government pumped in US$192 Million in grants. Additionally, the government gave the airline US$238 Million in loans, while loans from outside government were US$100 Million. This means that Rwanda government kept RwandAir afloat with US$430 Million in loans and grants between 2013 and 2016. When the US$100 Million external loan is added, US$530 Million was pumped into RwandAir between 2013 and 2016. Remember that Rwanda is a small economy with a GDP of US$8.3 Billion and a per capita income of US$702.

Presidents Museveni and Magufuli, do you really want to travel this route?

Excellencies, your countries are well-served by major global airlines. International and regional airlines connect the two countries to key destinations. What is it that national airlines will perform — which other airlines cannot do? Or is this about a desire for creating a prestigious symbol to project Uganda and Tanzania, internationally? Be that as it may, your Excellencies, do not fall into RwandAir’s trap. The airline is a disastrous experiment — it is no model for any country with a clear vision and people-centered prioritie

Click to expand...