Rwanda’s central bank has launched an annual forum with media professionals aimed at improving journalists’ understanding of financial issues and helping the public access clearer information about the country’s financial sector.
The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) introduced the BNR Media Open initiative on Tuesday, bringing together journalists, social media content creators and storytellers for discussions with bank officials and financial experts.
Deputy Governor Nick Barigye said the program was created to give journalists more opportunities to engage with experts and better understand the institution’s role beyond controlling inflation.
“Many people know BNR mainly for its role in controlling inflation,” Barigye said. “We saw the need to give journalists enough time to engage with our experts and get answers to the questions they have.”
The discussions covered the bank’s responsibilities, including maintaining price stability, protecting the stability of the financial sector and expanding access to financial services.
Participants discussed monetary policy, interest rates, currency stability and other issues that often require technical explanations when reported to the public. BNR officials said better-informed journalists can help citizens understand how financial decisions affect their daily lives.
Journalists attending the forum welcomed the initiative, saying access to information from the central bank has improved compared with previous years.
Some participants said reporting on financial issues was previously challenging because obtaining official information could take time, and some stories were abandoned when journalists could not get the necessary responses. One journalist recalled a past attempt to report on the illegal use of foreign currency in transactions that was dropped after efforts to obtain clarification from relevant authorities were unsuccessful.
The Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) was among the topics that attracted attention during the discussions. Journalists said many citizens remain unfamiliar with how the system works, including how financial institutions use credit history information when assessing borrowers.
BNR officials explained that the CRB helps lenders review customers’ borrowing records and reduces risks linked to unpaid loans.
The journalists called for continued public education on financial services and suggested that future BNR engagements be shared through different media platforms so more people can benefit from the discussions.
BNR said more than 96% of Rwandans now have access to financial services, but efforts are continuing to encourage greater use of products such as savings, insurance and credit.
