Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has urged African leaders to place greater confidence in the continent's own potential, stressing that while international partnerships remain important, the future will be determined by how effectively countries use resources, talent, and opportunities. Speaking virtually at the opening ceremony of the Lesotho National Leadership Forum on Monday, June 22, Nsengiyumva shared Rwanda's experience in governance and national transformation, highlighting lessons that could help inform leadership and development efforts on the continent. ALSO READ: PM Nsengiyumva urges African-led health systems amid Ebola outbreak The forum, officiated by Lesotho Prime Minister Samuel Matekane, brought together leaders and policymakers to discuss ways of strengthening governance, accountability, transparency, and service delivery as part of Lesotho's efforts to build an effective, responsive, and citizen-centred public sector. Representing President Paul Kagame at the three-day forum, Nsengiyumva underscored the importance of visionary leadership and self-reliance in driving sustainable development. “Let me emphasise that as Africans, we must have confidence in our own potential,” he said. “Our continent is richly endowed with talent, resources, and opportunity. What determines our success is not the absence of potential, but leadership that unites people and mobilises those resources around a shared vision.” ALSO READ: Rwanda, Lesotho sign general cooperation agreement He added that partnerships will continue to play an important role in Africa's development journey, but cautioned against dependence on external support. “Partnerships will remain important, but Africa's future will be shaped by what we do with what is already within our reach,” he noted. “As leaders, we must take responsibility, strengthen institutions, fight corruption, mobilise domestic resources, and empower citizens as co-creators of development.” Drawing from Rwanda's recovery from 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Nsengiyumva outlined three key lessons that have guided the country's transformation. The first lesson, he said, is the courage to plan for the future. He recalled Rwanda's adoption of Vision 2020 in the early 2000s, describing it as an ambitious roadmap that helped align institutions around common goals and encouraged leaders to look beyond immediate challenges. “While not every target was achieved, Vision 2020 succeeded in creating direction, discipline, and national coherence,” Nsengiyumva said. “The most important achievement was creating a culture where long-term planning guided day-to-day decisions.” According to the Prime Minister, Rwanda continues to build on that foundation through Vision 2050, which seeks to transform the country into a high-income economy and improve the quality of life for all citizens. The second lesson centres on transforming available resources into opportunities. Nsengiyumva noted that following the Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda faced the challenge of rebuilding not only its institutions and economy but also its reputation. Rather than focusing on limitations associated with being a small, landlocked country with limited natural resources, he noted that Rwanda chose to build on its strengths, including good governance, security, and strategic investments. He pointed to the country's investments in tourism and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) infrastructure, which have helped reposition it as a destination for business, innovation, and investment. The Prime Minister also highlighted the role of technology in improving public service delivery through digital platforms such as Irembo, which has enabled citizens to access government services more efficiently and transparently. In addition, he noted that prudent economic management and strong institutions have enabled Rwanda to maintain steady economic growth while progressively reducing dependence on foreign aid. “Today, grants account for only a small share of our national budget, reflecting our determination to finance our own development,” he said. Nsengiyumva stressed that accountability remains central to these efforts, emphasizing that the fight against corruption must be continuous and uncompromising. “Public trust depends on fairness, integrity, and accountability at every level,” he said. The third lesson, according to him, is ensuring that citizens actively participate in development rather than simply benefiting from it. He explained that rebuilding trust between leaders and citizens after 1994 required creating mechanisms that allow people to contribute to national decision-making processes. He cited initiatives like the National Umushyikirano Council, which enables citizens to directly engage leaders, and Imihigo, the performance-contract system through which leaders commit to measurable targets and are evaluated on their delivery. “Development cannot be something done for people. It must be something done with them,” he said. While sharing Rwanda's experience, Nsengiyumva acknowledged that no development model can be universally applied and that every country must chart its own path based on its history, culture, and circumstances. He also highlighted Rwanda's growing role in promoting peace and development beyond its borders through United Nations peacekeeping missions and technical cooperation initiatives coordinated through Rwanda Cooperation. Nsengiyumva commended the growing partnership between Rwanda and Lesotho, particularly exchanges aimed at strengthening governance and public sector transformation. “We particularly value the exchanges that have taken place between Lesotho and Rwanda in recent years, including our participation in Lesotho's National Leadership Retreat,” he said. “These reflect our shared commitment to learning from one another's experiences.” He further called on African leaders to embrace their responsibility to build a prosperous, peaceful, and self-reliant continent. “Leadership is about more than managing the present,” he said. “It is about helping people believe in a better future and creating the conditions to realise it. Africa has what it takes. The question is whether we will rise to our responsibility and build together the prosperous, peaceful, and self-reliant continent our people deserve.”
