Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kagame advises Africa to use Rwanda’s speedy development approach

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FILE: ZAMBIA’S High Commissioner to Rwanda, Judith Kapijimpanga with Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba paying a courtesy call on President Paul Kagame of Rwanda at Kigali Serena Hotel in Kigali on Sunday June 7, 2015. PICTURE: MACKSON WASAMUNU

The African Union’s Executive Council and Permanent Representatives Committee convened in Kigali in Rwanda convened for a one day consultative meeting on reforms focussing on the financial independence of the organisation and the institutional reforms that were proposed at the retreat of the Assembly of the African Union.

And Rwanda President Paul Kagame has called on AU member state to ensure that the union gets sustainable and predictable financing by taking full ownership of the organisation’s budget.

President Kagame saiys time has come for Africa to take full responsibility of its development programmes and activities and stop depending on external financing from partners and donors.

Mr. Kagame said the AU has to take action now to ensure that they begin to finance their own budget without relying on external funding which he noted comes with conditions that could be unbearable for African countries.

President Kagame noted that external financing which the AU has been relying on is responsible for external interference from international donors.

He was speaking in Kigali today at the African Foreign Ministers’ Consultative Meeting which was held to discuss the implementation of African Union Reforms.

The year 2017 should be considered by all member states of the AU as a year of transition from dependency to ownership of programmes and activities of the Union because no continent or country can give peace, prosperity or independence to Africa but Africa itself, he told the meeting.

The Rwandese leader further urged African leaders to learn from his country ‘s undertaking of drastic measures to overcome misery which befell them following the 1994 genocide without waiting for external assistance.

“The Rwanda you see today is not a miracle but a result of handwork and strong resolve to never go back. First we had to overcome the mindsets and cultivated a positive attitude in our people to get to where we are today.

” Let’s not waste opportunities to learn lessons and apply what we have learnt,” President Kagame stated.

He said it takes positive attitude, transformed mindset and handwork to transform the situation such as embarking on reforms in the AU which is the core business of the meeting.

In July 2016, at the 27th African Union Summit, member States of the AU entrusted President Paul Kagame of Rwanda with the mandate to lead the African Union reforms to enable the continatal body meet its mission’s goal and truly serve African citizens. In January 2017, the proposed reforms were adopted by all Heads of State and Governments.

The consultative meeting interacted by giving participants time to contribute to the debate and decided on how some key reforms be implemented.

The leaders deliberated on how to make Africa speaks with one voice and better manages its partnership with the rest of the world and unanimously spoke on the need for Africa to implement measure that would enable Africa itself to finance the African Union activities to ensure sustainability.

Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba was among the 54 foreign ministers from all African countries as well as all African ambassadors accredited to the African Union who met to discuss the way forward to the implementation of these reforms.

In an exclusive interview with ZANIS in Kigali, Mr. Kalaba said the meeting was an opportunity to engage with Africa’s top diplomats and others present, on the foreseen impact of the reforms on the continent.

The Minister stated that the consultative meeting further provided the opportunity for Ministers and other delegates to contribute to the reforms and to fine tune what President Kagame and his team has prepared after he was tasked by the African body.

The Minister attended the meeting with his Permanent Secretary Chalwe Lombe accompanied by Zambia’s High Commissioner to Tanzania Benson Chali.

21 COMMENTS

  1. We need to take control of our fate, our future, our sorrow and happiness.
    This is why I can not support UPND as long as HH is at the helm of it – the man has promised vulture this country, he will sell Zambia to the highest bidder.
    EL is keeping Zambia for zambians.

    • Ati “HH will sell zambia to the highest bidder”. Pf00l

      – ZNBC has already been sold by PF to tu ma chinese.
      – ZCCM-IH has already been sold to an Israeli shelf company (real buyers unknown) for a mere $100million.
      – Large tracts of land are being given to chinese & other foreigners
      – lungu wants to sell Indeni & tazama to ma chinese then he’ll sell your dignity to IMF.

      Your corrupt president is in the pockets of chinese. Just go to LT pictures of the week, it’s delegation after delegation of chinese infestors.

      PF has failed the economy & it’s Pf00lish worshipers. Ask anyone in Zambia, things are bad already, there’s no money in circulation.

    • You must differentiate between diversifying the economy and selling Zambia to highest bidder.
      The former is what EL is doing and the later is what HH did during privatization.

  2. Quiet honestly the president’s Blue print will
    Be better than Paul Kagame’s.

    Zambia is compared to Japan in some instances from what I have read in reputable newspapers.

    Thanks

    Bb2014,16

  3. In zambia they are following the school of kaloba under the useless rat mutati

  4. Zambia compared to Japan. Mushota you are deluded. You embarrass yourself and any self respecting phd

  5. President Kagame knows clearly his vision for Rwanda, he sold the vision to the Rwandese and they bought it and understood it. He knew how to begin implementing his vision: his first step was to change mindset of people.
    Edgar Lungu doesn’t even know what his vision is, therefore people cannot see a clear path he is taking. His principle is: fikaisova

  6. Kagame has stayed far too long as Rwandan president same as HH as upnd president,sign of dictatorial tendances.Good for Rwanda but not Zambia.

  7. Look beyond ECL and develop this country without thinking of Tongas….Work not because you hate HH but love your country. Patronage breeds contempt towards other people.
    In life you shall have enemies and to work in order to shame your enemies is being unwise. Work because that is your lot given by GOD. Work because you love GOD and don’t hate anyone both friend and foe.

    Tell me, bloggers did you choose tribe when we are born. or do you regret that you are not born white or Tonga or LOZI? Does Your being born not Tonga or LOZI makes you happy before GOD?
    Consider your words

  8. PF & Mutati only know Kaloba as speedy development. Eurobonds are maturing soon & PF is too broke to pay, that’s why they want to get IMF loan.

    That’s when Kwacha will become zim-dollarized. Brace yourselves for hard times bane. Coca-cola will become a “diamond”.

  9. Rwanda’s story is very difficult to emulate given that it involves pillage of another country, a thing no Zambian will do.

    • I agree with you 100%. Most of the resources that Rwanda continues brag about was looted from DRC.

    • Zambians wake why do like to defend stupidity and lack of even capacity to learn , the same initiatives has started and failed have succeeded in other countries, look at electricity first of all, the KK Airport and many projects were canceled so that they are given to other companies and eat from them. Right now the PPP Office is wrongly at State House for high level corruption facilitation , who knows who is eating from it . This is the stupidity we are talking about . Somebody put RDA at State House and somebody died millions . No names mentioned . Agree that Zambia has no top level direction at all with out going into details judge for yourselves. MPs, Ministers and Presidents have gone to many places to learn even the OVOP initiative from Japan , it is all failed , uselessness.

  10. It’s irrational to use the tiny country of Rwanda as a yardstick for development. It just the size of mufulira. Anyone can develop it. You can even run that country on a laptop or smartphone

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