Kagame in Davos for World Economic Forum

President Paul Kagame will today join over 40 Heads of State and Government in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum’s Annual general meeting. Hundreds of business leaders and representatives of governments and organisations are attending the meeting, dubbed Davos 2015. Rwanda’s delegation, led by President Kagame, includes the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Amb. Claver Gatete, the Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Geraldine Mukeshimana, Rwanda Development Board chief executive Francis Gatare, and the Minister for ICT and Youth Jean Philbert Nsengimana. President Kagame will begin his first day at the World Economic Forum with a breakfast roundtable with leaders from both the public and private sector. “Being an event that convenes global leaders in a variety of sectors, we will be having a session exclusively focused on Rwanda with several business leaders. “Beyond participating in discussion and deliberations at the conference, Rwanda’s participation serves as an opportunity to share Rwanda’s story and the steps taken to sustain an attractive business environment,” Gatare told this newspaper. Under the theme: “The New Global Context”, the discussions at the forum will be centered on 10 global challenges affecting today’s world making up more than 280 sessions. Gatare told The New Times that the gathering will host several discussions on key topics pertinent to the African continent, including the importance of infrastructure in spurring growth on the continent. “There is a session on how to revive the growth agenda for Africa and how to get some of the economic growth centres of the continent to tackle emerging challenges,” Gatare said. Other key topics of discussion include current challenges caused by the global economic uncertainty as well as growing insecurity. “There is also a concern among the global leaders on the emerging insecurity that seems to be cutting across all regions. This has led to a call for concerted collaborations more than competition as the whole world is becoming interlinked,” Gatare added. Today, Kagame will also take part in a televised debate hosted by CNBC Africa with Albert Essien, chief executive of Ecobank Transational; Sunil Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprise; and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. In a press release ahead of the conference, Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said the forum would serve as a platform for public-private cooperation. “Such cooperation, to address the challenges we all face, is more vital than ever before. But it requires mutual trust. My hope is that the Annual Meeting serves as the starting point for a renaissance of global trust,” Schwab said. Additional thematic areas to be discussed this year include environment and resource scarcity; employment skills and human capital; gender parity; long-term investing, infrastructure and development; food security and agriculture; international trade and investment; future of the internet; global crime and anti-corruption; social inclusion; and future of financial systems. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Kagame in Davos for World Economic Forum