Kagame has turned Rwanda into a great African story

AS THE African Union celebrated its 50th anniversary, there was little indication that a new vision for Africa guiding the continent for the next 50 years is crystalised, and there seems to be no charismatic leader emerging to articulate a bold outlook of Africa of the next 50 years. The 50th anniversary celebrations also come at a time when Africans continue to be excited about the prospects presented by the 21st century, which include growth, economic prospects, and a renewed sense of pride and identity. However, reminiscent of the times of Kwame Nkrumah, Gamal Abed Nasser, and Patrice Lumumba, who articulated an Africa free and proud, a renewed sense of optimism is coming from the most unlikely places – Rwanda, the tiny landlocked country in the heart of Africa. Rwanda is emerging as the heartbeat of the African renaissance, with its President Paul Kagame increasingly looking like the lead champion articulating the vision of a new Africa proud and sure of itself, beyond Rwanda’s borders. Already, two bestselling books, Rwanda Inc., written by two American authors Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond, and A Country of a Thousand Hills by bestselling author Stephen Kinzer, project a president at a pivotal moment in history. Equally, Kagame has not shied away from debate with mainstream media in propagating his radical ideas, with the likes of Christiane Amanpour, with op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and others. In 2013 alone, he has featured at important fora such as at the World Economic Forum, at the influential Milken Institute where he was the first serving head of state to ever be invited. And a few days ago, Kagame delivered a keynote speech at Saidi Business School, Oxford University, where he was the inaugural recipient of the Distinction of Honour for African Growth Award. These are just a few of the high profile engagements where Kagame has featured, and the message has been the same: “Africa is rising”, “opportunity is real”, and “Africa is ready to engage but on different terms, equal and mutually beneficial arrangements”. As part of a group of fellows of the African Leadership Initiative/Aspen Institute meeting for a reunion in Rwanda, he indulged us in an hour-and-a-half intense intellectual discussion, dissecting the challenge of leadership. The group, made up of East Africans, flew in the country aboard RwandAir, drove on first class tarmac to a rural but 1st class forest lodge in Nyungwe, with community development visible in the countryside against the backdrop of history. By the time we met him, everyone had already bought into his “Agaciro doctrine”, the philosophy guiding his actions and leadership for the visible progress the country has made against the odds. In several tweets later in the night, he was to express his pleasure meeting the group, and pointed out 6 principles of what he saw as key in advancing the development of the continent, with servant leadership at the centre. In April 2013, the country marked the 19th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi – Genocide which was orchestrated by government and religious and civic leaders against their own people. This was in addition to a serious failure of leadership within the international community, especially at the UN and African Union level, to prevent or stop the madness that engulfed the country in 1994. One would wonder, therefore, how a country that was so let down at all levels by leaders, could ever look to leadership for faith, security or solutions for society’s problems. Well, it’s this leadership that saved the country from the madness of the 1994 Genocide, and the same that has gone on to shape and turn it into one of the most hopeful stories of our time. President Kagame, invokes strong passions on either side within the international system, but has become an icon in his own country where his great achievements and stature are threatening to undermine his own legacy with fears of uncertainty should he leave the presidency in 2017. His leadership style, modeled from the traditional western democratic system, is a customized version with accountability and strict adherence to rules and obligations at its core, throwing his critics into a feat, associating his style with autocratic rule. But it is this unique leadership model that has kept the country together, with one of the most efficient pubic service systems in the world, and has seen the country grow from near abyss to be among the top 8 fastest-growing economies in the word. The country is also ranked among the least corrupt countries in the world, and the government has successfully lifted over 1 million people out of poverty. However, Kagame’s critics, especially human rights and non-governmental organizations, inconvenienced by his insistence on accountability of their activities and use of foreign donors’ funds, insist that Kagame is a dictator stifling the voice and aspirations of his people. But as his critics become more vocal and determined, so has his message become clearer; it is resonating with Rwandans and others beyond Rwanda, especially with the country’s success becoming more evident in global indexes. His approach to issues continues to bring him head on with global powers whose engagement with African countries has been mostly unequal in many respects, using aid as carrot and stick. In his recent speech to the Rwandan and African diaspora who gathered in London on May 18, he used the analogy of a tsunami as something Africans need to learn to deal with the unfair treatment they get from those that give aid to developing countries. He insists that Africans have to learn to endure such strong storms to safeguard their dignity and self-worth. Eventually the tsunami passes, and calm finds you still hanging on and when you have learnt valuable lessons. The writer is the co-founder & CEO of LéO Africa Forum.