Rwanda Day: Call to sustain gains, focus on future development

During the Rwanda Day event in the United States capital Washington DC, Rwandans were on Saturday, February 3, urged to sustain the development the country achieved since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. A panel discussion, themed “Rwanda at 30, Rwanda in the World,” focused on the socioeconomic transformation the country witnessed in the three decades since liberation and the journey ahead. ALSO READ: President Kagame joins over 4,000 Rwandans in Washington, D.C. for Rwanda Day ALSO READ: It’s Rwanda Day in America! Rwanda recorded key achievements in terms of diplomatic relations, trade, health, and security, among others, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr Vincent Biruta. “To attain our objectives for transformation, Rwanda fosters strategic partnerships in various sectors. That is how in the health sector we have entered into an innovative partnership with the German technology firm BoiNTech to start manufacturing mRNA-based products and vaccines in Rwanda, Biruta said. “Our ambition is to address the gap in the production of life-saving vaccines in Africa, by locally producing them to serve, both our needs and regional markets,” he said. Another partnership is the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the UK government. “Rwanda has entered that bold economic development and migration partnership to address the root causes of the migration crisis by tackling global inequalities in opportunities that drive economic migrants from their homes,” Biruta noted. Through these partnerships, Rwanda is playing its role in addressing global issues such as the migration crisis. ALSO READ: Rwanda Day: Do not allow anyone to define who you are For Jendayi Frazer, a former US ambassador to South Africa and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Rwandans were able to achieve progress and stability over the last 30 years because they chose to build their systems on their cultural values and traditions. “When I think about Rwanda at 30, what I think about, which is so remarkable, is that since the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, Rwanda has done more than most African countries to rebuild its society for reconciliation, to create an environment of prosperity, and really to take charge of its own destiny,” said Frazer, who is a former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. “I'm sure that there are many factors but one that I think, beyond the leadership of the country and the hard work of the citizens, is that Rwandans have been self-determining in the sense that they've built their institutions around their own culture and their own traditions. And I think this is absolutely critical.” ALSO READ: How Rwanda is leveraging rising diaspora remittances Frazer said one such home-grown solutions to Rwanda’s problems is the introduction of the Gacaca courts, which helped in putting perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi on trial. She said Rwanda Day was another initiative that sought to make the country find solutions for current issues and chart the development journey ahead. The Minister of Youth and Arts, Dr Abdallah Utumatwishima, said that under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda is poised to become a developed country. He encouraged young people in Rwanda and abroad to play their role in the development of the country. “The world is changing, so we'll need new models of diplomacy. If you have young people in America, studying international relations and diplomacy, we will need new skills in that domain. With artificial intelligence and the new skills and robotics, we need new skills back home. But if you are successful here in America, we encourage you to continue to be excellent,” Utumatwishima said. Biruta noted that even as the country recorded significant transformation in three decades, the journey towards development continues. “While we are celebrating the achievements of our country during the last 30 years, we need to keep in mind that development is a process,” Biruta noted. “We have achievements to celebrate today. But we need to keep focused and to be mindful that we need to keep improving in some specific sectors like education. Development is a process and there are achievements, but if we just stay there and celebrate and be happy for what we have achieved tomorrow we will be lagging behind all other nations. “So, let's keep focused. Let's keep looking at ways to improve on what we have achieved to build on those achievements and go even further.” The 11th edition of Rwanda Day attracted more than 6,000 participants from North America, Rwanda and beyond.

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Rwanda Day: Call to sustain gains, focus on future development