This week is yet another showcase opportunity for Rwanda to position itself as a key regional and global player. Its transition has been remarkable and this week it hosts the heads of government of the Commonwealth countries and more than 5,000 delegates. With thousands of delegates expected to head to Rwanda together with business leaders, civil society groups and leaders as well as heads of governments, the Commonwealth family will come together to discuss the present and future challenges and opportunities. The challenges are many. So are the opportunities. CHOGM has a diverse set of members. Home to over 2.5 billion people across 54 member states, the Commonwealth encompasses one-third of the world’s population and includes both advanced economies and developing countries, large and small island states. There is unity in this diversity which if leveraged can be. Powerful vehicle to support development, progress, inclusion, and growth. With the challenges that we have witnessed over the past months and continuing at present, primarily driven by slower growth prospects due to a worrying increase in inflation, CHOGM is indeed happening at an opportune time. These challenges add to the ones we have been debating for far too long and include climate change, unemployment, economic diversification, and ocean pollution amongst others It is also imperative for CHOGM to think small and to focus on the smallest and weakest of its members. Often marginalised in global events, CHOGM has long advocated the interests of small island states in global fora. Its work on vulnerability and resilience has been instrumental in supporting such member states. Now is the time to become a champion once again for the cause of thinking small. Over the past year and months, the world has experienced a confluence of negative effects. From the pandemic to the less-than-ideal COP outcome, to an ensuing global slowdown and a global-spiralling inflationary run, the world is becoming more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Against this backdrop, small island economies remain even more exposed to these global threats due to their inherent vulnerabilities of openness, smallness, limited resources, dependence on tourism, rising sea levels and much more. The challenges are well-known and documented. What is needed is innovative policymaking, collaboration, and mobilisation of resources. The pandemic has once again shown that we truly are one world, and that global policymaking needs to be driven by the value of solidarity. I do sincerely hope that this CHOGM will focus very much on elevating the concerns of such member states and groupthink can focus on this smallness. By contributing to the shared challenges of these member states, the Commonwealth can once again show the power of collaboration, solidarity and advocacy in global policymaking and governance. In thinking small, it needs to act big. It is true that most countries are facing fiscal challenges due to the economic challenges we have all faced as a globalised world exacerbated by the investment necessitated to fight the pandemic. However, acting big is not an exclusive domain of money and investment. What is needed is the ambition to deliver and to change the status-quo. Leaders and authorities need to focus on innovative policy tools and cross-border initiatives that can support member states face common challenges. Best practice and experience sharing through the establishment of centres of excellence can go a long way in supporting countries through capacity building and mobilising resources, financial and non-financial. It is indeed also very opportune that Rwanda is hosting this CHOGM. A beacon of transformation and successful regeneration from the ashes to a regional and continental hub, it is a country that embodies the spirit of the Commonwealth and the desire to overturn challenges into opportunities. With a powerful theme as the one chosen, ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’, Rwanda has the opportunity to establish itself as an international champion for transformation. We do hope and augur that Rwanda can pioneer several free-standing initiatives that will outlive this year’s meeting and translate into tangible benefits for member states. As I write this article on the plane bound to Kigali, I must admit that I am looking forward to this coming week. I am confident that the deliberations and discussions during the Commonwealth Business Forum and the other for a will be thought-provoking and support the transfer of knowledge. I am also looking forward to visiting Rwanda and Kigali and feel the dynamism of this country and its people that have embodied the spirit of transformation so forcefully. I am hopeful that this CHOGM under the presidency of Rwanda can set the tone for a strengthening in global advocacy, multi-lateral governance and solidarity. This is the right time to define our future. Let us together work on charting an inclusive and sustainable economic model in the long run; where quality is valued more than quantity, where the environment is given its due importance and where the economy works for people. For this to start, we must start delivering, connecting, innovating, and transforming. The time is now. The writer is an economist and co-founding partner of Seed, an international research-driven advisory firm with offices in the Middle East and Europe. www.seedconsultancy.com | jp@seedconsultancy.com
