What the media missed about the Gako retreat

The key to being a good media practitioner is the ability to look at any given story from every possible angle coupled with the necessary analytical skills to get a complete understanding of the subject.This will allow you to give a fair and honest account of the story to your public.Nowhere could this be more important than right here in post genocide Rwanda. Unfortunately, we are constantly falling short.Case in point; The 9th National Leadership Retreat that took place at the Rwanda Military Academy, Gako (March 3-7).The media coverage on the “Gako Retreat” was poor in analysis and foresight. It is, after all, the ultimate cabinet meeting, extended to both houses of parliament, the army, mayors, governors, civil society and the private sector.Every year, this exercise is repeated to ensure that each player in ‘Team Rwanda’ is on board with the country’s goals and priorities that include self-reliance and prosperity. Could there possibly be a more deserving story to be told? Isn’t it in the public’s interest to be kept abreast with what happens in such an important part of our national development strategy?Yet for years, this very public ‘affair’ has been treated with secrecy; so much so that any information filtering out has either been a rumour or plain gossip such as “Which official was reprimanded or put to task”, “who was told off in front of everyone…” the juicy stuff of rumourmongers.Recently, while participating in a TV show on the matter, I was dumbfounded to hear the host ask the Minister of Cabinet Affairs whether the event was worth the ‘public money’ spent on it. Seriously, after 8 years of repeating this very exercise, is the validity of such expenditure even in question?The show’s moderator went on to summarize the minister’s response by emphasizing that those who don’t deliver need to be punished and replaced…According to the moderator and many others covering the event, the retreat is about disciplining and reprimanding public servants. One of my colleagues even went as far as to argue that occupying a public office in Rwanda is risky business as you might fall out of grace publicly and become ‘persona non grata’ in the private sector, blacklisted…Seems to me we just might have missed a couple of steps in our analysis.Yes, Rwanda prides itself on discipline. Yes Rwanda is building a culture of accountability. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. The fear factor theory cannot possibly begin to explain the success of poverty reduction and development programs such as EDPRS and Vision 2020. There is a definite vision that is being shared more and more and to a much broader base than the visionaries themselves. And that vision has become inspirational. The vision has become transcendental.During the retreat in question, Professor Collier, an expert in African Economies from Oxford University, commended Rwanda on her achievements. He went on to attest to the fact that he had never, in his years of experience in the field, seen in a country such levels of commitment, effectiveness and enthusiasm towards development goals. He had only witnessed this in small organizations and NGO’s – never even once in a country!And, indeed the retreat is the cornerstone of our country’s strategy and methodology.It’s not merely about ministers staying in military barracks rather than 5 star Hotels or resorts; the retreat is not just about strict accountability and micromanagement on the part of the so-called ‘Big Boss’. The Annual Leadership Retreat is the ultimate strategy and action plan meeting for anyone who serves the interests of the Nation. A common ground where the vision is being shared, synchronised and coordinated, creating a momentum that will weld all the participants into one team ready to take on any and every challenge.The team at the retreat is a colourful combination of all the strata of our society with a common goal and a shared commitment to a vision of a better future towards which they all agree to deliver and go the extra mile… one would call it inspiration.The momentum is such that it has grown beyond the bounds of the retreat to galvanise a Nation; and this, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the secrets to Rwanda’s success story. The author is the proprietor of contact fm radio station and media practitioner

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What the media missed about the Gako retreat