A toast to a leader who delivers what he promises to the people

Close to four million Rwandans petitioned Parliament to amend the Constitution and, finally, this week, the Members of Parliament overwhelmingly voted to amend the constitution, paving way for the re-election of President Paul Kagame. Among the reasons they gave was that they would like to see the country continue to benefit from the fruits of his work. This article gives an evidence-based account of President Kagame’s delivery on the several promises he has made to the people of Rwanda. I want to mainly focus on delivery in the ICT sector. To start with, President Kagame, a formidable strategist, has always been a proponent and a staunch believer in inclusive politics as the best way to play fair politics, especially in Rwandan political landscape where exclusion had for decades been the norm rather than the exception. He has, therefore, strived to promote inclusive development and transformation of the lives of Rwandans against all odds. His vision to transform Rwanda is hinged on innovatively harnessing the scarce resources Rwanda has, both natural and human, for optimal output. On this note, his leadership has massively invested in education and skills development to turn the Rwandan population into real human capital, in the absence of abundant natural resources. He uses every opportunity to make friends with Ivy League academic institutions and other institutions of similar caliber across the world and has successfully linked them to Rwandan youth, to acquire the requisite technological knowledge and use the skills to develop the country. This is a very judicious strategy to develop skills that are not yet available in the country. He has been an avid proponent of science and technology as basis for durable and sustainable socio-economic development that will deliver the country to the middle-income status which it strives to achieve by 2020. ICT development in Rwanda is, without a doubt, Kagame’s brain child. He has unsparingly deployed his intellect and personal connections to ensure the country grows into a knowledge-based economy–using ICT. Like Mahatma Gandhi, Kagame has been a believer that what we do in the present will determine what we shall be in the future. At policy level, the government, under his able guidance, has devised a robust ICT policy with an elaborate National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) strategy. The strategy is supported by an impeccable ICT sector strategic plan whose objective is to make Rwanda a smart country by 2020. The ICT infrastructures are already in place, including a fiber optic cable that has been laid across the country, a key enabler to a fast internet connection while the Rwanda Online project, to automate all government services is in advanced stages. Community awareness campaigns for ICT usage have gone to all corners of the country, while the One Laptop per Child programme has been extended to all the 416 sectors of the country. The Northern Corridor Integration projects, specifically the component of One Area Network, are now operational and has increased the traffic in communication between Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda by 900 per cent. The list is long. The ICT has, in the short run, paid formidable dividends mainly in socio economic sector, positively impacting on the lives of Rwandans. According to Rwanda Development Board (RDB), there are 4,420 registered ICT related companies and provide valuable services to the Rwandans, which is phenomenal. Over the last five years, the ICT sector has attracted 45% of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) which represents more than all FDIs in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, trade and construction put together (National Bank of Rwanda, BNR). Concerning mobile penetration, as of December 2014, it was at 26 per cent, up from 7 per cent in 2012 while mobile subscription had reached 70 per cent, from 33 per cent in 2010. It is worth noting that the target for 2017 of 64 per cent, has well been surpassed, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). Of great interest in this sector is the role of mobile services in promoting financial inclusion where, by December 2014, the value of transactions reached Rwf691 billion, from 50 billion in 2011(NISR). This has had a far reaching impact on everybody mainly the rural population. In terms of doing business, online registration has made it easy for anybody wanting to register a company in Rwanda. E-soko has enabled ordinary Rwandans to access agricultural produce prices on their mobile telephones deep in their villages. In the health sector service delivery, e- health has made it possible for health professionals to consult each other using quick SMS, and ICT has enabled Telemedicine in which a surgeon can consult another surgeon while operating on a patient locally or even from other expert outside Rwanda. Once again the list is long. It is therefore not surprising that Rwandans have every reason to love their President for not only his personal traits but, most importantly, for having restored their dignity and national pride among nations. He has reconciled the people of Rwanda; they are now a cohesive society that is focused on socio-economic development. But it has all been possible because of a great leader in Paul Kagame, who loves his country and people with the greatest passion. He has against all odds imaginable delivered his promises to the Rwandans. He has stabilised the country and pacified it so much that it is now an icon of peace and stability. His vision to turn Rwanda into a middle-income country is on track, it is a boat that we do not want to rock. If his achievements have to do with his traits, (and traits actually are specific to individuals), why can’t Rwandans, indeed, request him to lead them again, especially if, in so doing, it is within their democratic rights that are enshrined in their constitution? The good news is he is still young, physically fit and of sound mind, and the difficult journey through which he has driven the country has not diminished his determination to turn Rwanda into a great, respectable, secure country with dignified and cohesive citizens. Rwandans need him to consolidate the achievements registered. The writer is a former Cabinet minister and Senator.

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A toast to a leader who delivers what he promises to the people