Aid from development partners should serve as an enabler of self-reliance, President Paul Kagame said.

The President was on Monday speaking on the first day of a three-day visit to Los Angeles, US, where he attended a reception hosted by GenNext, and moderated by Pierre Prosper, former US Ambassador -at-Large for War Crimes.

"We accept assistance; we need it, but we will be in the driving seat of rebuilding our country. We will think about what needs to be done and we will associate friends and partners. We want to be in charge of our own future,” Kagame said.

Amb. Prosper described Kagame as a hero for positioning the country for success for the future, and for ending the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Kagame described Rwanda’s history as a testament to both the worst and the best of humanity.

"Twenty years ago, we lost one million people, 10,000 people were being killed every day at the hands of Rwandans. The Genocide is an example of the worst human beings can do. Twenty years down the road, reconciliation is showing us the best human being can be as we work to leave this tragic past behind us,” he said.

The President said Rwanda has been transformed into a country of hope and dignity.

"We worked together to bring the broken pieces of our country back together. It has taken hard work and our diversity has been harnessed for strength instead of weakness as was the case in our past. It is about bringing people back together and giving them hope that it is no longer a hopeless and helpless situation. Today, Rwandans have hope, a sense of dignity and pride, they know what they can achieve, who they can be and how they can shape their future.”

Responding to a question on Rwanda’s critics, President Kagame challenged the factual basis for some of the criticism.

"If you don’t want to be criticised, say nothing, do nothing and be nothing. I have no desire of doing nothing. People will talk but I have a job to do and that is to give Rwandans security, development, and opportunity. Rwandans will judge me differently than journalists who have never visited Rwanda and who only know about the country from surfing the Internet. The question is, are our children educated, do our people have health care, are they empowered and do they participate?”

The reception opened with an introduction by former US Ambassador to the UN, Robert O’Brien, who denounced the failure of the UN to prevent the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and described Rwanda’s transformation as remarkable.

"Instead of ordering the UN troops to provide safe haven and stop the Genocide, the UN reduced the peacekeepers. We could not get a resolution to pass, while this is happening, thousands were being killed every day. This can never be allowed to happen again,” Amb. O’Brien said.

The diplomat added that the French intervention allowed for the continued killing until the Genocide was ended.

"In 1994, a historic man saved his people. Today, Rwanda has been transformed. It has come back from the bottom of the pit and has become an example of great leadership and democracy,” he said in reference to Kagame.