President Paul Kagame has called on Rwandans to remain grounded in their identity and embrace who they are, saying personal and national strength begins with self-acceptance.

He said this on Sunday, February 1, while addressing government officials, religious, private sector leaders, diplomats at the National Prayer Breakfast, held at the Kigali Convention Centre.

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Organised by the Rwanda Leaders Fellowship, the annual event seeks to instill Godly values in leadership. The gathering also serves as an opportunity to thank God for the nation’s achievements in the past year and to pray for continued progress.

"If we are not grounded as individuals, our families cannot thrive, and if both individuals and families are not strong, it is difficult to see a country prospering,” Kagame said.

In seeking to improve oneself, Kagame said that, whether as an individual, a family, or a nation, it is important not to make the mistake of trying to be someone else. You must be who you are, as you were created.”

"There are good things people do that we can adopt, but you cannot try to become someone else entirely. You can learn from others in order to be better, while still remaining yourself,” he said, adding that the same principle applies to nations.

He stressed that Rwanda cannot and should not be turned into another country.

"Countries are different, small or large, rich or powerful. You cannot take Rwanda and change it into something else, just as you cannot change a person into someone else. You did not create them.”

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According to the President, many challenges arise from refusing to accept one’s identity. "Instead of working to improve yourself, you may look for shortcuts or illusions that convince you that you should be something else. That is where things go wrong. As a country, we know where that path leads.”

Addressing the youth, Kagame urged them to remain grounded in who they are, regardless of where they go or what they admire.

"You should never think of abandoning who you are in order to become something else you saw elsewhere. It does not last, and even if it did, it would be like living without truly existing,” he said.

"When you have a strong culture, trying to replace it entirely with what you saw elsewhere destroys rather than builds. Instead, we should strengthen what is ours, correct what is not good and improve it, but always based on who we are.”

Moses Ndahiro, the Chairperson of Rwanda Leaders Fellowship, thanked the President and the First Lady for recognizing and attending the National Prayer Breakfast, describing their participation as "a blessing and a very strong encouragement to the work we are doing.”

Maj Gen (Rtd) Julie Bents, who delivered the sermon during the breakfast, noted the role of knowledge and free will in human life.

"God has given humanity knowledge and free will, allowing people to choose Him. Where there is no choice, there is no love,” she said, connecting the concepts of faith and personal responsibility.