Youth trained for future leadership

KIGALI - YOUNG leaders who graduated on Friday at the Youth Leadership Political Academy have been urged to be good leaders of tomorrow The call was made by Anicet Kayigema, the Executive Secretary of FFPP (Forum For Political Parties) while officiating at a ceremony where 34 young political leaders received certificates. “Youth leaders should lead by example and show good behaviour and professionalism in their political work and career,” he said. Kayigema added that young people are the future leaders of tomorrow, and that it was vital for aspiring young political leaders to acquire necessary skills that could contribute to political parties’ capacities to organize. “You should be good politicians who focus on good governance, good politics and working for the people,” he advised, adding, “Politics is a calling to serve the people. If you cannot, then don’t join politics”. The Resident Director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Gaston Ain Bilbao, said that the young political leaders were given high quality intensive training in political related issues. “We trained them on practical political experiences and they shared experiences with several resource persons in various areas of political work such as the roles and responsibilities of political parties in a functioning democracy.” Speaking to The Sunday Times, David Rugwiro, the academy’s coordinator, said that the youth were trained to sharpen their political leadership ethics and good governance. “We gave them an opportunity to interact and share ideas with several well-known politicians which will enable them to be knowledgeable in the areas of politics,” Rugwiro explained. Vincent Mwumvaneza from Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) and one of the young political leaders, urged his colleagues to maintain the integrity of the academy. “We learnt how a good leader behaves and this will enable us to be the future leaders of tomorrow,” he said. In an interview with The New Times, Restituta Mukantagara from PSL (Rwanda Socialist Party) and one of the four best students during the course, said that she will use the knowledge obtained to sensitize others about good governance. Prior to the graduation ceremony, the young politicians, together with Anicet Kayigema, visited the Politician’s Memorial Grounds at Rebero Hill in Kicukiro District to honour opposition politicians who were killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Kayigema explained how bad politics led to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and also described the slain politicians as ‘heroes’ who stood up against a bad regime and bad leaders. The Ceremony was graced by several political party representatives and members of the diplomatic corps. NDI is a non-governmental organization that was founded in 1983 and has supported democratic institutions and practices worldwide for more than two decades. Since its founding, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. Ends