{On Sunday the 5th July 2015, Madam Cherie Blair former first lady of the UK met with the Minister of Justice/Attorney General, Mr. Busingye Johnston, members of Rwanda Africa Justice Foundation alumni and the aspiring candidates. Africa Justice Foundation, a UK based organization founded by Cherie Blair CBE, QC (Queen’s Counsel) provides and facilitates training of African Governments lawyers through a combination of training programs, scholarships and the sharing of knowledge and professional skills in legislative drafting courses, commercial legal principles to translate progressive aspirations into progressive legislation and efficient governance in a globalized economy.}
The AJF mission is to build legal capacity in the public sector through education and professional skills training implemented via partnerships with governments, academic institutions, Bar Associations and legal bodies in sub-Saharan Africa.
In the colorful ceremony that was held in Kigali, both the Minister of Justice and Mrs Cherie Blair hailed the importance of the contribution of the Africa Justice foundation in development of skills of former students of the AJF geared towards development of a robust, stable and predictable legal system that meets the needs of the citizens of Rwanda. AJF Rwanda Alumni were appreciative of the efforts of Cherie Blair as well. Members of the Alumni also noted that trainings offered by the AJF increased their skills and a number of them to day hold very important positions in various government institutions while others have even secured regional jobs. AJF was hailed for this important and excellent job of funding the members of the Alumni which has actually developed into a big family.
In her remarks, Madam Cherie Blair appreciated the way AJF Alumni echoed a number of remarkable achievements realized in Rwanda after studying and obtaining masters’ degrees in different courses including Legislative drafting and International Business law in various universities in the UK. Madam Cherie Blair also pledged her continued support to ensure that such programs continue in order to build a strong and reliable system as an integral part of the framework that enables emerging economies like Rwanda to thrive economically, politically and socially.
The Minister of Justice/Attorney General, on the other hand, pledged his support for candidates who will soon enroll and join the UK Universities in various master’s programs. The Minister appreciated the spirit of the Rwanda AJF Alumni and further noted that if it were not Cherie Blair’s good heart it would not have been easy for students to join such prestigious universities of the UK. The Minister also noted that the UK Universities have equipped the former students with skills particularly in legislative drafting course and this has significantly contributed both to achievement of good quality and quantity of legislation in Rwanda. In his final remark, the Minister once again appreciated the efforts of Madam Cherie Blair in contribution to the development of the nation and wished her a warm stay while in Rwanda.
Rwanda AJF Alumni include different former students that graduated from various universities in the UK under the sponsorship of the Africa Justice Foundation. Currently, nineteen members of the alumni are serving in various government institutions including the Office of the President, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Parliament, Ministry of Justice and Rwanda Law Reform Commission.
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