President Paul Kagame has warned senior and local government officials who spend the majority of working hours in meetings that in return have little to no impact. Kagame made the remarks while officially closing the two-day 18th National Dialogue Council, an annual event locally known as Umushyikirano, which kicked off on Monday, February 27. The Head of State pointed out that it has, recently, emerged as customary for government officials to “hide behind meetings”, leaving no time to attend to their duties. This, he said, among other things, has proven to be one of the reasons leaders are unable to deliver their pledges on time. “I have learned that some of you (leaders) are always in meetings, some of which do not even bare any results for the country,” he added, “When people try to reach you, they are told that you are in meetings and when they attempt to try the next day, they are told the same thing.” “This is actually one of the excuses being used such that you can spare time for your private affairs,” he added. While meetings including Umushyikirano are significant, Kagame believes that there should also be time for “the real work”. “This should be different from the everyday meetings. The same time can be used for more important work,” he said, adding that the most important aspect of a meeting is not only what was discussed, but also what was achieved after the discussions. For the past two days during Umushyikirano, the Head of State said, important topics have been discussed and therefore should be worked on with a sense of urgency. “It should be obvious that we are lagging behind some of our goals, and this should in part motivate our speed.” Children’s well-being a community role Referring to an earlier session, “Building strong families and communities”, Kagame told Umushyikirano that young people’s well-being is a role that should be shared by everyone. He said that despite the topic being discussed on several occasions, there was a clear gap in how children are brought up. “They are the next generation, leaders of this country. We should take pride in their upbringing.” A gap in children’s upbringing leads to, among other things, stunting and malnutrition. Kagame also spoke about alcohol consumption among minors, urging that there should be a legal way to address the vice. For instance, he shared an example, you will find a 14-year-old child consuming alcohol with their family in a bar. “In such cases, the family member and the bar owner should be penalised.” This year’s Umushyikirano comes after a three-year hiatus due to restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussions are expected to focus on issues surrounding the advancement of social development through strengthening community resilience, highlighting the participation and collaboration of all Rwandans for sustainable development. The dialogue, which is provided for in the constitution, is followed live by Rwandans in the country and in the Diaspora.
