Kigali, 14 December 2012
Delivering closing remarks at the conclusion of the National Dialogue today, President Kagame said that the national event had re-positioned leaders to accomplish their responsibilities of serving the people with commitment. President Kagame pointed out that leaders should by all means avoid being complacent because a lot remain to be done.
“If at the end of this dialogue the general feeling is that we have been inspired, energized and convinced that we can achieve self reliance and dignity, then we can safely say that this meeting has been a success. We must be prepared to consolidate and protect our accomplishments because there are many people who would not like us to progress.”
Wishing all participants a merry Christmas and a happy new year 2013, President Kagame asked Rwandans to look up to better things ahead, and work hard to achieve them.
The Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Luc-Adolphe Tiao who attended the two-day national dialogue conveyed greetings from the people of Burkina Faso, and President Blaise Compaore. He said the concept of the National Dialogue is testimony that Rwanda is a fully fledged democracy and that the notion of self reliance discussed during the dialogue should be shared with other African nations. The Prime Minister said that the people of Burkina Faso are together with Rwanda in the fight for dignity.
At the conclusion of the National Dialogue, 23 resolutions were drawn, which if implemented, would improve the social welfare of Rwandans and lead to self reliance.
Later on, President Kagame officially closed a retreat by the youth, organized by the Ministry of youth and ICT at the Amahoro mini stadium. The more than 1000 youth also followed the two-day National Dialogue live from the stadium, and contributed actively. President Kagame asked the youth not to allow Rwanda’s tragic history to be an obstacle to them but instead make it a source of strength to face the future:
“Your future is even brighter than your present but it will not come without hard work and you must start today. Our history must always teach us, we have to read it and learn in order to develop to the full potential as human beings. You should observe discipline and embrace good values in order to develop your talents because every one of you has talents.”
The Minister of Youth and ICT, Nsengimana Jean Pierre said the youth convention will be taking place annually during Umushyikirano to ensure youth play an active role in policy making.