President Paul Kagame has shared his thoughts on the organisation and attendance of the just concluded 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The high-level meeting was hosted in Rwanda from June 19-June 25. In tweets put on Sunday morning, the President took note of the efforts invested in the organisation and security for the delegates during the week-long meetings. “Congratulations to all the organisers, the security forces who kept everyone safe, the staff across all venues and all Rwandans who contributed to the success of #CHOGM2022! Thank you immensely for doing the country proud!” Kagame tweeted. The President went on to thank the delegates who attended the summit and reaffirmed the unity of the commonwealth as the Chair-in-Office of the bloc that has since grown from 54 to 56 members after the admission of Togo and Gabon. “Thank you to all 4,000 participants who joined us for #CHOGM2022. To my fellow leaders, it was an honor to host you all in Rwanda to reaffirm our united resolve to deliver a prosperous, dignified future for the citizens of the Commonwealth family. We wish you all a safe trip home!” he tweeted. Speaking at the opening of CHOGM on June 24, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles thanked President Kagame and the people of Rwanda in general “for the most impressive preparations they’ve made”. Several delegates and global leaders who attended CHOGM also sent out their appreciation to Rwanda and branding the summit as ‘well organized”. Besides Heads of Government of different countries, the meeting was also attended by different heads of global institutions, business executives and members of civil society, among others. The meeting was initially scheduled to take place in 2020 but it was postponed twice as the pandemic forced governments across the world to impose lockdowns and travel bans. This was the first CHOGM to be hosted by any African country since Rwanda joined the 56-nation association 13 years ago and the sixth to take place on the continent. The 26th CHOGM had several events including Executive Sessions of Heads of Government, the Youth Forum, Women’s Forum, People’s Forum, Business Forum, as well as a number of side events, social and cultural.
