NGOMA - President Paul Kagame has called on Rwanda to work towards eliminating the challenges that the country is facing.

Addressing residents of Ngoma district in Eastern Province, the President once again reminded Rwandans that the solutions to the challenges this country faces lie within Rwandans themselves and not foreign friends.

He strongly urged Rwandans to instead work towards eliminating these obstacles, rather than turning their eyes to other people.

The President’s tour was aimed at assessing development achievements and interacting with the population of this district made up of slightly over 270,000 people.

Addressing the residents who had braved the scotching sun at Sake Sector, President Kagame said that some of the impediments to our development were self imposed and insisted that solutions to write-off these problems must come from within.

He singled out malnutrition, diseases, poor hygiene, disharmony in societies and dependency on others as some of the major challenges this country continues to face but which could easily be solved if people put in more energy. 

He observed that for many years, these problems were imposed on Rwandans by long history of a distractive political landscape and urged residents and Rwandans in general to turn away from bad politics and give constructive development a chance.

Kagame told the residents that the major ingredients to a successful developmental path were peace, security and good governance, of which Rwanda now enjoys.

The President told the excited crowd that they have physical power and intellect to work and produce enough for their families and therefore should not allow hunger and poverty to knock on their doors.

He again underscored that the first step for Rwandans to liberate themselves from the pangs of hunger and poverty is to rediscover their dignity and abandon the culture of depending on handouts from others who are equally human.

The President who had earlier visited several development projects in the district emphasised that its high time Rwandans translated words in actions and shifted the gear towards result oriented attitudes, adding that the achievements in the last 15 years are evidence that everything is possible.

As he stressed the need to consolidate the achievements registered so far, President Kagame reminded the nation that the foundation laid so far could anchor the nation to greater heights.

Earlier President Kagame visited Muhurire Coffee Farmers Cooperative in Rurenge Sector where he interacted with the cooperative members who have so far planted over 300.000 high-yield coffee seedlings on 120 hectares of land.

The chairperson of the Cooperative, John Bizuru told The New Times that the entity has over 102 members who put together their land resources in the Land Consolidation and Crop intensification Programme in a bid to reap huge dividends from what used to be smaller pieces of land.

There after the President visited Muhurire model village (Umudugudu) also in Rurenge Sector where over 250 families initially living in scattered poor household will be resettled in 3-bedroomed houses with a Kitchen and bathroom as well as other amenities like electricity, health centres, water and good roads.

He winded up the project tour at KOPANA Pineapple Growing Cooperative in Gafunzo Cell, Sake Sector which has over 453 members growing pineapples on 53 hectares of land.

Shortly after visiting their stall, the President pledged to help the farmers on some of the challenges they are faced with such as transportation and value addition to the produce.

As a token of appreciation for his leadership, residents of the Eastern province gave President Kagame, 667 heads of cattle, which he appreciated but also promised them to look for more cattle, add to this gift and redistribute them to families that don’t own a cow.

"In appreciation of what you have given them, residents of the Eastern Pronvice have returned to you. Bugesera District has given you 72 cows, Kayonza 100, Gatsibo 150, Kirehe 20, Nyagatare 200, Rwamagana 75 and Ngoma 50, this is a message they sent to you” Kabaija announced amidst ululations.

Ends