Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente has called on the youth to be active contributors to the African Union reforms and leadership initiatives in their countries.

Ngirente was speaking yesterday during a public lecture to scholars of the Mandela Centennial Scholars Programme at the African Leadership University.

The programme, based at the ALU Kigali campus, is in honour of former South African leader, the late Nelson Mandela’s legacy offering scholarships to 100 outstanding young Africans from disadvantaged backgrounds from 36 African countries.

The premier challenged the youth to contribute to the development of their respective nations through ideas and innovation that would impact governance and leadership.

Graça Machel speaks during the launch of the Mandela Centennial Scholarship Programme at ALU university yesterday. Nadege Imbabazi.

Progress in nations, he said, is often driven by close collaboration and engagement between leaders and citizens to bring out solutions to challenges.

Among the leadership lessons that young leaders can replicate from Rwanda, Ngirente said, include understanding the context of countries and challenges to present home-based solutions as opposed to replicating foreign solutions.

The model, he said, would ensure that there is partnership between leaders and citizens in developing solutions.

Former South African First Lady, Graca Machel, called on the youth to study the models of governance and leadership in aspects such as reconciliation and nation building.

"Young people can learn from the practical approach in Rwanda’s journey over the years. Development has been brick by brick and oriented to specific goals and in context of the underlying priorities,” she said.

The two leaders also noted the need to adopt non-confrontation leadership and governance that is keen on unifying citizens across the various lines of diversity.

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