Blair says Rwanda is ‘forward looking’

The visiting former British former Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that Rwanda is on a brink of reaching a whole new stage of economic and social development. While appearing on Contact Fm yesterday, Blair praised President Paul Kagame’s leadership and said he thought this was a grand time to be involved with the country’s forward looking stance. “I think it is a very exciting time to be involved and, the thing about President Kagame is that he has got the right vision for the country. But you know it is tough to deliver these visions,” Blair said. Blair has a team of experts working with President Kagame and his government to build capacity, improve government systems and attract investment, in order to help the President achieve his ambitious vision of economic development and poverty reduction. “I would say that we made a lot of progress in the first year but there is still a lot more to do.” Blair is a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) and founder of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), a charity launched in February 2008. Explaining the origins of the AGI, Blair said initiative does work in Rwanda and in Sierra Leone because the leadership of both nations keen on what they have to offer. “One of the good things about President Kagame is that he’s got sufficient confidence – he is not afraid to say – we can do this, with the right type of help in delivering our priorities.” Commenting China’s active penetration in Africa and what critics have been saying, Blair said he thinks it is for individual countries to decide whether China offers a good deal or not. “I think that rather than seeing ourselves in Europe or America as competing with China, it would be actually quite good to see how we can partner with them (China).” Ends

National

Blair says Rwanda is ‘forward looking’