President Paul Kagame will next week, Monday, December 21, deliver the annual state of the nation address, in an interactive format with the country’s leaders, ordinary citizens and the media.

This is one of the major resolutions made by the cabinet meeting on Monday, December 14.

The cabinet, chaired by the Head of State, resolved that owing to the current Covid-19 situation, all national events including Umushyikirano are postponed. 

"Given the current trend of Covid-19, the cabinet has postponed all national events including Umushyikirano," a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) reads in part.

However, the statement noted, "This year, the President will deliver the state of the nation in an interactive format with officials, citizens and media on Monday, December 21."

Last year, the President delivered the annual state of the nation address during the National Dialogue Council, also known as Umushyikirano.

Provided by the constitution, Umushyikirano is an annual homegrown initiative that provides a platform for national leaders as well as ordinary citizens to discuss issues affecting the nation, including governance and national unity.

The 18th edition of the annual event was scheduled for this week, Wednesday, December 16 at Kigali Convention Centre but was postponed to curb the rising cases of Covid-19.

With the upcoming festive season, the cabinet meeting reiterated that all citizens are reminded of the critical importance of complying with health measures including physical distancing, wearing of face masks, and hand hygiene.