London, 18 May 2013

Good afternoon everyone. The Ambassador didn't want to say it the way it is: he first said that you are Imfura (decent and dignified), then said Intore but let me say it: you are truly Imfura.

Please take your seats. Thank you.

Fellow Rwandans, friends of Rwanda,

We have many friends of Rwanda here with us today; almost the same number as Rwandans here present. We thank you all and you too are Imfura! I am very pleased to be here with you today, at another Rwanda Day.

Rwanda Day is now known as a day of gathering, sharing and discussing new ideas of how we can make our country a better place and continue our development journey. I thank everyone present for making the time for this event where we will share ideas on how to build a Rwanda we deserve. I thank those who came from very far and all of you for your patience.

As it was said earlier, Rwanda Day is an opportunity for Rwandans living abroad to connect with Rwanda in a special way. We have gathered in many different places and every time Rwandans have participated in big numbers. It has become evident that when given an opportunity, Rwandans can achieve a lot. Rwanda Day is not a day only, it is the spirit that brings us together, looking for the common good of the country and working together to achieve this.

Oxford, 18th May 2013

Professor Peter Tufano, Dean, Said Business School, Oxford University;

Distinguished scholars, leaders of business and the media;

Faculty, staff and students;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

It has been said that Africa is the new frontier for business, that it is a continent holding the promise for the global economic turn-around. These are not mere clichés or exaggerated media headlines. They reflect a real, sustained trend of witnessed economic growth.

The World Bank and other publications report that Africa is the second fastest growing region in the world. Nine out of 15 countries in the world with the highest rate of economic growth are in Africa.

And despite worldwide economic slowdown, African economies have averaged growth rates of 5% over the last ten years. Still, most aim for double-digit growth in the next decade. In Rwanda, for instance, we are targeting 11.5% annual growth in the next five years.

And according to recent surveys, 27 African countries have already reached middle-income status and by 2025 that number will have risen to 40.

There is no shortage of skeptics where Africa is concerned, who think this growth cannot last. Equally, there are many who are convinced by the evidence that it will. Among these are those Africans, who are driving it and who are resolved to maintain the momentum. The question therefore as we look to the future is not whether this growth can be sustained, but rather of how.

Kampala, 16 May 2013

Honourable Chairperson of the Commonwealth Local Governments Forum (CGLF), Mr. Lawrence Yule;

Mr. Adolf Mwesige, Vice Chairperson, and Mr. Carl Wright, Secretary General of the CLGF;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;

I thank you for inviting me to participate in a discussion that seeks to reaffirm the purpose of local government and democracy as drivers of change.

In Rwanda we believe the principal role of any government – central or local – to be transformational, improving the well-being of citizens and empowering them to participate fully in their development.

This view is informed by experience and evidence that the benefits of good governance and the development that it unleashes have the greatest impact at the local level, as policies and programmes are customised to community needs, with citizens participating actively, and entrenching democracy.

Clearly, local democracy practices are not always the same and transferrable, because they are context-specific. However, aspiration to a better life is universal and therefore the path taken in some of our countries to realise this may be worth sharing. Let me now present some of Rwanda’s experiences in local government that have produced the kind of progress witnessed over the last decade and half.

Rwanda’s path to effective local government has been through decentralisation that we have steered for more than a decade now. Decentralisation ensured that Rwandans are empowered to fully participate in planning, implementing and managing their own development processes.

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 20th April 2013

• Your Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;
• Your Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the Tana High Level Forum Advisory Board;
• Excellencies Heads of State and Government;
• Excellencies Former Heads of State;
• Distinguished Audience;

I am happy to be here with you and to have this privilege to be part of a discussion on the legacy of a late colleague, Pan-African, friend, and a source of inspiration for many – the late Prime Minister MelesZenawi.

I am also happy to be here this time around as I missed the inaugural meeting.

For me, even more so for Ethiopians and many other Africans, talking about Meles’ contribution goes beyond the boundaries of Ethiopia and encompasses the whole continent of Africa and beyond. He championednot only Ethiopia’s, but Africa’s cause in various international forums with passion and conviction, and to great effect.

We recall, for instance, his commitment, together with other colleagues some of whom are here presentwith us, to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). That dedication to Africa, among others, reflected his thinking on Africa’s development. NEPAD was, and still is, for many a collective vision for Africa’s renewal and progress. It is an expression of our common desire to construct a framework for development fully-owned and mainly driven by Africans.

Itariki 7 Mata 2013

Banyarwanda, Banyarwandakazi.

Uyu munsi dutangiye icyunamo, aho twibuka ku nshuro ya 19 Abanyarwanda basaga miliyoni bishwe muri Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi mu Rwanda mu mwaka w’i 1994. Turegeye imyaka 20 genocide ibaye. Hakaba ari umwanya wo gusubiza amaso inyuma tukareba aho tugeze, aho tugana mukongera kubaka u Rwanda, mu gusubiza Abanyarwanda ubuzima n’agaciro no kubateza imbere muri rusange. Niyo mpamvu uyu mwaka, igikorwa cyo kwibuka kitabereye ku rwego rw’igihugu, nkuko bisanzwe, ahubwo cyikajya ku mudugudu kugirango Abanyarwanda bose bagire amahirwe yo kucyitabira, bacyigire icyabo, kandi bagire uruhare rugaragara muri gahunda zose zo kwibuka.

Kwibuka Jenoside ni inshingano kuri buri mu Nyarwanda. Iyi nshingano tugomba kuyitoza abakiri bato nabo bakazayiraga abazabakomokaho uko ibihe bisimburana. Uko guhererekanya amakuru ku mateka yaranze Igihugu cyacu, n’ubwo ari mabi, nibyo bizadufasha gukumira ikibi, kurwanya ingengabitekerezo ya jenoside n’ikindi cyose cyashaka gusubiza Abanyarwanda aho tuvuye, ahubwo tugaharanira icyiza cyateza imbere Abanyarwanda bose.

Ni yo mpamvu amateka yacu agomba kwigishwa mu mashuri, abari bato n’abavutse nyuma y’i 1994 bakamenya ububi bwa politike mbi n’abayobozi babi byoretse u Rwanda muri Jenoside.

Tugomba rero gukora ibishoboka byose kugira ngo ari twe twandika amateka yacu. Tubungabunge ibimenyetso, harimo n’inzibutso, kugira ngo bitaza sibangana, ahubwo bizabere abantu bose uburyo bwo kwibuka, gukumira no kurwanya jenoside.