Kagame was speaking Monday while closing the 30th AU Summit that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In his remarks, Kagame thanked participants for a successful summit they had and welcomed new Heads of States and Government participated for the first time.
He said they had the opportunity before the summit to hold a conclusive and positive reform meeting and said they will continue consulting as the process unfolds.
“Our time here together is a most precious moment on our annual calendar. We must therefore get the most out of our summits. Let us work together to do even better next time,” he said.
“I would encourage closer collaboration with Africa’s private sector on the Union’s key initiatives. They are eager to get involved and are critical partners in creating opportunities and building the prosperity our continent needs,” Kagame noted.
Kagame reminded participants that an issue that deserves more of attention is conservation. He thanked former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa for highlighting this.
“Africans need to take the lead, in partnership with like-minded global organisations, in conservation because it affects us directly,” Kagame added.
He said that driving conservation will allow Africans get the most out of their continent’s assets, contribute to better management of agriculture and tourism sectors, and support efforts to mitigate climate change.
Yesterday, they announced that they will launch the ‘Continental Free Trade Area’ in a summit that will take place in Kigali in March.
Kagame invited fellow Heads of States in next summit in Kigali.
“As announced yesterday, we are on the cusp of creating a Continental Free Trade Area. We look forward to welcoming all of you, to the summit on this issue in Kigali, at the end of March,” he said.
During the summit, Kagame; African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat and Togo President, Faure Gnassingbé and other Heads of States launched the Single African Air Transport Market.
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