 Thank you very much Mr. President. So we're going to start the discussion and then we'll ask you two questions and after those two questions we will take Interventions from the participants and members My first question will be about Rwanda itself It is Very simple just very simple to ask for me not to answer To what extent is the Rwanda model exportable to other African countries one Rwanda is Almost on everything work in the progress We are still Doing a number of things still experimenting still but some progress has been made now in terms of Being a model I suppose relates to What has worked? even in the Worst of circumstances or the diversity we have faced Has been so challenging therefore The model we have applied Can apply in other places Depending on demonstration of what where we have come from what challenge you have Addressed And the outcomes now Therefore it's not the overall model that is going but except if you pick a few pieces one piece I have in mind is The model is going to work because it builds Putting people at the center of addressing the problems and involving them and From there move forward The second piece is if you can change People's mindset For example in our case what we try to do as and this is practically a Discussion with everybody or people in our society. We would go to every part of our country We have the conversation with our people and tell them that Much as we have a lot of problems There is a lot in them that They can bring out to meet these challenges and address them So we are telling people that we had been telling people are long that You can't sit back and wait that people will come and help Yes, many times the people have come and helped absolutely but Why wait for people to come and help? Even on the things you can do yourself. This is what we have been trying to Plant in the minds of our people. This is what I'm talking about in terms of mindset because Apart from other problems. We found There was also this mentality that no people are poor No, they have no this they have no that so some people who have more will bring what they need They bring medicines bring food We found actually the country about 45% of Our food needs we are coming from outside as a donations And we said no, but we can't grow food to feed ourselves And let's do it Then we started moving forward. So the model can work anywhere Not everything is going to work for everybody or everywhere but overall The conceptual aspects the philosophy behind it Can apply in any situation in Africa or beyond it's about saying we can do it What we can't do then we can rely on friends or partners and we still can move forward until Over time we are able to actually do what we were not able to do before So I think it can it can work and for us we Don't have in mind Anything else that would have changed our situation Unless we Involved ourselves Sort partnerships sort Systems, but always knowing that this is our responsibility A footnote to the same question. Have you yourself been inspired by the experience of Lee Kuan Yew Singapore when we started off with our Liberation struggle and the challenges we faced then during and after We did not even think about that But as we started Rebuilding we started looking all around us whether in Africa or beyond and in particularly we did look at the case of Singapore Because Some of the things we have done have come from us many other things have been lessons learned from others How they address their problems at one time or another with the kinds of problems and the approaches they Made And so that we can also find something in our own so it was at a later stage Let's say 95 96 on the margins when that was ending That is when we started looking around to say what is it that is going to help us Overcome these insurmountable at that time. They looked so Challenges so the Singapore case was very appealing It was the case of Singapore mainly it was a case of South Korea And we looked around in fact we looked around for not only development models but also governance models in fact our Constitution is built on Patching up ideas from one place looked at South Africa which you know was also Being born at the time things they were doing to reconcile the society and Approach different things for their development we looked at some European Constitutions the origins the why things are the way they are looked at the US looked at We went to other places. So we kept pieces of What we thought was appearing and particularly to address to deal with our situation and So Singapore was very appealing in many ways looked at what How they have approached? investments in technology Application of different technologies for efficiency effectiveness in things they are doing looked at how they invested in their people Sciences mathematics different things and then how Doing business when people Want to do business companies Whether small or medium or big ones What is it or making investments? What is it that would be appealing? For people to come to wonder especially with that Background we had that was not appearing at all So we had so many things to change so that we can Stop being seen as Some place where people can't do anything and created that Appeal but learning from and and definitely the case of Singapore as one of them Thank you very much. So all that was my first question. The second question is Larger you served as a president of the African Union so First what have you learned from that? experience What have you achieved? What are you proud? I would say to have achieved during their terms and Do you would you say also that the African Union is to use your own? expression a work in progress and if if it is so progressed towards what? Well Africa on one hand is a place of enormous resources whether human or Natural resources there's no question about that. So the challenge therefore is If you have that on one hand How would you fail on the other hand? to have the kind of prosperity the kind of transformation That you should have given These enormous resources the statement by everybody that we want to do better want to be better want to prosper want to do this At the same time decade after decade We are a place That can easily be dismissed So there is a paradox here that we need to to resolve So with that in mind one year is a very short very short time To do anything significant so I was chairman for 12 months, but The beauty is of that you don't do anything alone. That's why you have to start from so working with other African leaders and Having heard all these things in the mind that we needed to do to get going Start with the example The institution of the African Union How can we Get it to better organize better Effectively Producing the results that the Africans want How does it become effective? So we agreed on that we need to pay attention to that and that was the birth of the reforms that we had to cut out and The African leaders entrusted me with the responsibility to read the reform process, but it was really reading the reform process with them also Doing different parts of that process one thing we Achieved at this many there are a number of things which you achieve with the partially even if they are not completed, but at least we got started and We know where we are standing and work will continue with other leaders who come after and take the leadership of the African Union. For example, we working with the president of Niger President Yusuf We are able to put together the African Continental free trade area that has been created which is going and we hope by July next year is we are going to be the biggest Free trade area in the world But we we are not just thinking about the area. It's not just the area It's also what we do and how well we do what we need to do in the free trade area. How do we as Africans trade well with each other? How do we are our pre-movement of people and goods and services? How do we Partner with other parts of the world as a Group of African countries in this free trade area. So we've seen that come up. I mentioned in my speech the peace fund Which means from our own resources as Africa could contribute something We can contribute in the area of prevention of Conflict in the management of the conflict that exists We can't always just be running to other countries that Have the capacity and went to the UN and say, you know, we help with everything. So we said we can Contribute even if it is 10% Then if it is 15% We needed to contribute and now the Africans have contributed the fund which is running into 130 million US Dollars is a good thing. It never existed before we have never been to this level the levels like sometimes 10 million or even less so and Then there is a new is in place another chairman of the African Union we always hope every one who becomes the chair Helps cover another area that he needs to be covered Well, thank you very much. Mr. President. Now. We are going to take a few questions Renaud Girard will whom you know will be the first one Mr. President, I'm very happy to meet you again First time I met you in when the the bush in the north of Rwanda the place called Moolindi and after that you took the power and You are ruling Rwanda for the last 25 years You have been able to maintain peace And to develop In an extraordinary way your country in agriculture tourism industry services and so on And it's obviously a big success You have run Rwanda. I would say with a iron fist But iron fist Which works we call that in French despotism éclairé so it's a beautiful success, but What will happen in Rwanda? after Kagame Do we have a guarantee that the civil war will not resume? Yeah, there's the party you started with Which I think is a good thing You started with all the good things you said Happening good things don't happen because you are doing a bad thing They happen because you are doing a good thing so that that is Second I also mentioned it earlier There isn't really going to be a situation where only one person Does everything even in our situation even with So-called the iron hand you are talking about that iron hand has its own limits Is the way it starts from and the way it ends? third the judgment in the most cases by Rwandans of our own situation from Given where we started from and where we are and what has happened in between One is the most important second It's a fair judgment. It's a fair judgment fairer than when Somebody uses an outsider's eyes To make judgment about Rwanda or its leadership Fourth if I were to go into statistics of what has happened of people we have trained young people people actually who by the way people who were born during and after genocide That is around 25 years constitute 42 percent of our population those under 30 now about 32 below 71 percent These are actually the people who are doing most of these things we are talking about They have hard education. They have trained We have been sending people outside to go and study with Europe or there was a program to send Massively young people to one and what is interesting is that? Over 90 percent of those we send outside come back on their own There is no enforcement About bringing people back home They come back home, and they are the ones running the institution is most of them you those who have been there recently We will have made some of these young people running these things so The Kagama you made that time so long ago, and you were able to see the Iron fist that iron fist has passed on to many other fists There are many young people men and women doing their work efficiently you give results and And that's how I found my time to come here and have a conversation with you. They are doing the rest of the work So when but my time will come when I have to leave and these same young people will We decided what to do with their country and we choose from among themselves who Carries on the baton. Well, thank you. Thank you very much for this answer Which is both precise and Unprecise, but that's normal and I think that generally speaking After successful stories succession is always difficult That I think is a generality we can agree on so Even where succession has come so rapidly and where Success has been across the world There is no guarantee that things don't go wrong. We can talk about two cases if you want Yes, we have had a rapid Succession and we still have not benefited from that if it has any benefit from We see it by the way from across the world whether it is developed world or Meado The kind of note of the Developing order like ours, but that's another story for another conversation Thank you very much. So I saw several hands. Well the gentleman to my right. Yes, you I Think you is you good. Thank you Your Excellency president polka gummy Well, my question focus on the model of development Rwanda's model of development Well, you try to actually you explained it basically is People centered and then it has also governance Model as well, which you took from different parts of the globe So my question is What is actually the model because there are already known models Is it the modernization type which is not which I understand This is a developmental state paradigm or any other paradigm because for me To my readings and my personal observation Rwanda is becoming a model of development to Africa I mean everyone can can say it even some of them Have started to say Rwanda is the Switzerland of Africa not only the beautiful mountains, but the Development as well. So that is one one of my my question. The second one is The reform the African Indian reform process You you let the process at a critical stage now Well, someone has taken over So are you personally? Following it or well, I know as a member state. Yes, but I'm in the future. It's your legacy So what is your your involvement in this particular issue? Thank you Well, quickly, let me say this The model people call it all kinds of things I'll break it down into some realities Maybe we see whether that Constitutes a model of one kind or another or a model at all But I get there I guess there are things that have to be Put into consideration one There is the role of the state is a role the private sector there is the role of The ordinary citizen some of them organize In civil societies One has to find the formula that brings these Responsibilities together because it's one country that is being solved So ours what we have tried to do is to strike this balance in a manner that gives results The state how far does it go in delivering the goods it should deliver The private sector, how does it work together with the state or what does the state provide? as an environment for the private sector to do what it needs to do and Then on the side of the citizens The governance part how do they participate how do they get involved so that they feel they own what they have this is This is the these are the three Legs of the stool if you will that we we have worked on but centrally, let me quickly also give you an example when we were Dealing with the partners during those years. They were very active in Rwanda supporting From all the emerging situation to normalization and development Every time we used to tell our partners that We appreciate the kind of support they give us In fact, we need more even of it not less but We also want to be the ones in the driver's seat leading our development process So we had to form a partnership. We said we will decide for ourselves or If you will we will even work together in the deciding for ourselves We will tell you everything we want to do how we want to do it and we can make you partners But we will have to be the ones to decide this was as I was in 1996 for example so that in itself is very important and Whatever you call the model Those things have to be there the understanding of The balance that has to be struck People at the center People I mean the citizen is about also their leaders working together and The rest is what you get On the part of the African Union I still play a role of continuing the leadership of the reform process, but in support of whoever will be Coming or whoever is there as the chair of the African Union after me and Yeah, this is then we will report to the African Union General Assembly and we have the African Union Commission at the center driving The day-to-day responsibilities around that have the Commission and the chair and the commissioners and they participate in that Well, I am told by the protocol that we should white wind up now You know, I think the protocol in this case is probably the kitchen, but I will take nevertheless one question, please Mr. President Rwanda has been the country that has the most The biggest number of female parliamentarian in the world And I Think also that women are positioned strategically very strongly either In the economy in the politics. I like to ask you whether You saw some real value added on Promoting and supporting gender equality and would you see the link with this success that everybody's Describing my assumption is that there is a link very strong link in putting women where they need to be in a very strong position and The result you were able to have both in the economy and the society as a whole So we would like you to explain to us How the case went about making sure that women's rights is good for both the economy and development as you did it I definitely First of all want to confirm what you've just stated and then I rebuke it with These points that Will come along one Women involvement or participation as you have said it say that their contribution to the Economy It's also their rights and Then if you look at the numbers just look in in our case in Rwanda 52% of our population are women So I mean it is basic very basic If we were to remove 52% of your population and make it to Redan land I Don't think it's a very clever move and I don't think you get anywhere But if you can also look at many other aspects When we tried for example when you invested in education for women because women were lagging behind almost everything including education education business and Even the area of governance they were absent So we first invested in their education in fact their health their education for women What is going to be the result? I also tell you that in the management of our population growth The rates we have seen year in year out Rwanda was growing the population growth rate was at 3.2 percent She was quite Rwanda is a very small country geographically So we have managed to bring down that population growth rate to something like 2.4 from 3.2 what has contributed largely to Other elements including family planning for example Was education of women and women being educated participating in the economy In doing business in doing work public service or anywhere You know started bringing some sense of sanity In the whole economy and society So there is a direct link and there is a direct benefit no question we have seen so we What we in Primary and secondary school education the enrollment rate in Rwanda is one of the highest if not the highest on our continent about 92% of people who need to go to school Access school for the first 12 years And that is how we brought in women who were being left behind because with the poor families If they have girls and boys in the family because of low incomes, they would leave girls at home and Take the boys to school And so we have now made sure that no guy is left behind Everybody's getting educated and the performers whereas the boys In some cases much better So all of these things can't add up to nothing they they add up to this Impressive progress and the results we see in every sector of our society by numbers alone raising people women who participate by Restoring the rights they should have for their participation in what affects them and what affects everybody's by improving their health Their productivity in the area of agriculture in business or anywhere else I mean you can go on and on and on every case Speaks for itself for that women Should not by the way if you flipped it the other way around if it was women Leaving behind a man You would end up with the same poor results So it has to be the society as a whole being taken care of and particularly Making sure that women are restored right at the center where they belong and as part and parcel of our society Well, mr. President I Think that a good evening is when you can combine in a harmonious way food for thought and food for eating I Think we have reached a good equilibrium tonight. I wish to thank you again very very much For having come Here with us it was a great honor pleasure and I think you have indeed given us a lot of food for thoughts So thank you very much, and I hope that it is not the last time that you will come To the world policy conference