President Paul Kagame was this week honoured with two separate awards in recognition of his ‘exceptional leadership’ in promoting peace and democracy in Rwanda.The award of Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters was presented by the Vision International University, California, USA, and received by the Minister for Local Government, James Musoni, on behalf of the President during an event in Kigali on Thursday evening.The second award was presented to Kagame in Abuja, Nigeria, by the Africa Media for Democracy and Good Governance, an organisation made of up of African journalists. It was received by the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Joseph Habineza.In the Kigali event, presenting the award, the president of Vision International University, Stan DeKovan, said the university chose to recognise Kagame due to his outstanding contribution to the welfare of humanity.“For the last 10 years, Vision International University has been awarding one person per year considered to have made a great contribution to the welfare of humanity. This year we saw none fit other than His Excellency Paul Kagame to be graced with this award,” DeKovan said.Incredible leadership “He deserves it. His leadership since 1994 has been incredible. His plans and strategies for Rwanda from such a horrible start to its present state are simply brilliant and show the level of leadership and capability of President Kagame.”The Local Government minister, James Musoni, offered gratitude to the university on the President’s behalf, saying that the award reflected the collective effort of Rwandans to promote peace and reconciliation.“Rwandans embraced the nation’s collective aspirations for their dignity and development. The government recognises that its people are the main asset and that is why investing in our people through education, health, poverty reduction and programmes designed for supporting the vulnerable have been our top priority,” Musoni said.“President Kagame, since our liberation struggle, was driven by the desire to restore the rights of all the people of Rwanda, and underscored the importance of a government that embraces all its citizens and brings people together.”Other past notable winners of the Humane Letters Doctorate include Robert McNeely, the Executive Vice President of Union Bank of California and Meadowlark Lemon, a former American basketball player and actor.Established in 1990 as a Christian institute, Vision International University currently works in more than 150 nations.
