Responding to concerns, at the ongoing World Economic Forum, on whether the current global financial crisis will undermine progress elsewhere in the world, President Paul Kagame, rebutted this line of thinking. He aptly responded that this would slow down our progress but it was not a deterrent.

"This increases the difficulties, but should not derail us from progress that has been made,” said President Kagame.

Promising to forge ahead as he has in the past, explaining that the crisis would only, "provide excuses to those who want excuses”.

Indeed ‘excuses’ and victim playing have been the hallmark of many leaders in the Third World. They blame the east, the south, the rains that were too much and those that never came.

Indeed Rwanda has refused to play second fiddle in global economic development, instead opting out of mediocrity. That is why today Rwanda records a second digit economic growth of 10 percent, one of the highest and fasted growing in the world.

Rwanda’s private sector is one of the fastest growing in the world, and in terms of ICT development she takes the cup as one of the leading African countries that are well connected from north to south.

However, Rwanda aspires not to be just a national or regional player, this often mischaracterised ‘tiny African country’, is thinking big to become a global player.

And indeed she is playing on the global stage, one would not think this is the country that was registering negative economic growth 14 years ago.

She is not discouraged by the often harsh global environment she operates in.

In this regard she seeks partnership with players, who want to see the ordinary Rwandan benefit from such a partnership, beyond the past unequal relationship between the exploiters and the exploited. She will not be a willing accomplice to the neo-colonial agenda against her peoples.

President Kagame, joined esteemed world leaders at the WEF, which prides itself with being committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

In Davos, he was joined by African colleagues who include Senegal’s, Abdoulaye Wade, Mozambique’s Luisa Dias Diogo, South Africa’s, Kgalema Motlanthe and  Kenya’s Raila Odinga. Others present were British Premier Gordon Brown and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Rwanda has shunned mediocrity.

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