KIGALI - The Seventh Annual Leadership Retreat will kick off today in Rubavu district under the chairmanship of President Paul Kagame.

According to Protais Musoni, the Minister in charge of Cabinet Affairs, discussions at the retreat will tackle public policies on several key issues including strategizing how to make life better for all Rwandans.

"This leadership retreat marks the half way point of our vision 2020 goal. Rwanda has come a long way but with so many challenges remaining, we cannot afford to slow down.
"Everyone has a part to play in the transformation of our nation, but as leaders, we have a special responsibility,” said Musoni.

The minister also stressed that the retreat will review the progress made since last year’s and also set priorities for the nation’s development.

"It is not good enough to sit and talk about change – we must stand up and take personal responsibility for delivering a better life for Rwandans.”

The meeting that brings together top officials from the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature will this year be held under the theme; ‘Leaders, take ownership, change and work for a better life for all Rwandans.’

The key priority areas that the retreat will focus on include laying a foundation to a prosperous economy, productive agriculture and growing businesses supported by infrastructure and energy.

According to Musoni, Rwandan exports are four times lower than the imports and during the retreat; the leaders are expected to devise ways of bridging this trade imbalance.

"We are importing consumables and we need to strategize and come up with way of how we can import capital goods while we manufacture our consumables here in Rwanda,” he said.

Another area of focus will be guaranteeing that all Rwandan children get a better start in life by increasing access to quality education and improving nutrition, and ensuring that young people receive the training and support they need to get jobs.

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