If someone asked me, what the greatest nation on earth is, I would mention Rwanda without any hesitation. What is happening in Rwanda is almost a miracle. The government has managed to uplift millions of its citizens out of poverty in record time, and there are clearly no signs of slowing down. Rwandans are on an irresistible march to modernity. I believe many people would agree if I said that President Paul Kagame is one of, or the most successful politician Africa has witnessed in recent times. I also believe that no one would object if one said that his methods of governance are worth studying. Speaking in his New Year address, he said, “The focus for the country, the government and the people of Rwanda in the new year is to consolidate the many things that have worked for the country. Peace and security, social and economic transformation and continued investment in our people and in our economy.” President Kagame attributed Rwanda’s improbable success to three factors.Firstly, for a country to succeed, it must have leaders of integrity who have the trust of the people to build a strong foundation for nation-building. Secondly, having a meritocracy, where people can attain their goals based on merit and not connections, nepotism or corruption, regardless of their background. Thirdly, having a level playing field for all, with nobody given special attention or discriminated against by national policies.These remarks that are frequently made by President Kagame should absolutely be studied and reflected upon by all African countries. No doubt, the conditions in many other African countries are different from those in Rwanda. Most African states have plenty of natural resources and wide tracts of land, yet they no match for ‘tiny’ Rwanda. Whether it is the economy, international fame or credibility of its government, many African countries are always far behind Rwanda and trying to catch up. So, how did it turn out this way? Rwanda carried out nation-building and so did other African countries. However, Rwanda has significantly made positive headway in transforming its citizen’s lives while many other African countries have not. Bottom line is that Rwandan chose a different path right from the start.The path many other African countries chose was not based on any of the aforementioned three factors which President Kagame routinely cites when explaining Rwanda’s success. Given the political scandals and corruption controversies that have plagued many African countries, can they really have an upright and trustworthy leadership? Do they have a meritocracy?It is important that Africans are able to reflect on their journey today. Do Africans want to continue to pin their hopes on their various governance and economic models? Are they going to stick to the same path? It is time to change and Rwanda readily provides a blue print for socio-economic transformation.
