PHOTOS: Kagame hosts cocktail reception for FIA delegates

President Paul Kagame on Thursday, December 12, welcomed delegates who are in Kigali for the FIA General Assembly and FIA Awards 2024 to a cocktail reception held at Kigali Convention Centre. Over 800 delegates from across the globe are in Kigali for the general assembly of the Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA) which runs from December 10-13. The closing day, on December 13, will coincide with the FIA Awards, a colorful prize giving during which best performing drivers of 2024 will be awarded. Dutch driver Max Verstapen is among notable honorees set to receive the award in Kigali as the reigning Formula One champion. In his welcome remarks, Kagame commended FIA and its president Mohammed Sulayem for bringing the high level meeting to Kigali and Africa for the first time. “Many of you have come from so far away because you have conviction to what was going to happen here that FIA has put together.” “I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, FIA and Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his team, for putting all these together and doing Rwanda proud. We appreciate that and I hope for all the time you are going to be here, you are going to enjoy your stay,” Kagame said. This is the first time the FIA General Assembly and FIA Awards are being held on the African soil and Kagame said that the meeting and prize giving ceremony coming to Kigali is not only a win for Rwanda but the continent at large. “It’s not just for Rwanda, I want you to understand that, through your presence here, and actions that you carried out go as far as the boundaries of this continent. It’s for Africa,” he said. He insisted that, “It’s long overdue for many things to be happening here in Africa. Yet, Africa produces enormous talent.” The head of state emphasized that Africa produces a large number of young talent from different fields of sports but only a few are able to unleash their potential due to limited access to opportunities. He called for more events to come to Africa in order to open doors for more talents. “Your presence here, I know, is writing a story about how that opportunity can come to our continent. I appreciate that the message is loud and clear that, instead of Africa exporting talent all the time to other places, it can also be bred, grow and be seen to stay in Africa,” he noted. Before host a cocktail reception, Kagame and Sulayem visited the cross car manufactured by students from IPRC-Kigali. They also officiated the award ceremony of three Rwandan artists, most notably Gad Ishimwe, who won the FIA 120th anniversary art contest. His masterpiece will be featured in FIA’s permanent collection at its iconic headquarters in Place de la Concorde in Paris.

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PHOTOS: Kagame hosts cocktail reception for FIA delegates