The Visiting students from the United States of America have achieved their dream of finally meeting with President Paul Kagame after several attempts that seemed to show no success.
They added that they even tried to different places including MUSANZE on the Mountain Gorilla Naming Day, following buying tickets and reserving front seats in the hope to be able to talk to the President but unfortunately he did not attend that ceremony.
When President Kagame learnt of the students wish to meet him, he asked to receive them within such a short notice in his Office in Village Urugwiro on June 26th.
The students have been in the country for over a month conducting Master’s research in Public Health.
While meeting the with president, the students expressed their special happiness, and hailed him for his sacrifice to the nation that has resulted in unprecedented rapid development, compared to the situation that was prevailing in the country 19 years ago.
They informed the President of the Republic that they read various development reports on Rwanda and that they have been following excellent performance which is evidenced by several awards and trophies the country has been receiving.
The students said they have been following various reports on Rwanda’s socio-economic achievements in areas of the promotion of social welfare, attainment of MDG’s, the percentage of the population who have been uplifted from the poverty line, whose livelihoods have tremendously improved, adding that these achievements are clear and visible to anybody who visits different parts of the country.
They said after holding discussions with the population in rural areas–according to them, they believe Rwanda was able to attain socio-economic development, thanks to committed leadership, the policy of good governance that puts Rwandans at the centre of any development activity, pro-people leadership with open minded, facilitation of foreign investors, zero tolerance to corruption, leadership that puts people’s security at the forefront, to such an extent that one can travel within the country day and night without fear of being attacked or molested.
They also hailed Rwanda’s unique Communal work Umuganda that has resulted into the general neatness of the country.
In short, they conclude that other African countries should not give any explanation or pretext of their chronic economic stagnation and underdevelopment.
If Rwanda was able to emerge from the context of genocide and socio-economic devastation, they other African countries which never experienced such calamites should do better.
The students informed the President of the Republic that in their country in the USA, and even in European countries, some people feel that nothing good or important comes out of Africa, to such an extent that when you intend to come to Rwanda, some people discouraged you that you will be killed if you go there, or that you will meet inhuman people.
They also visited different markets and saw that people were happily doing their business, laughing and with joy; in taxis in which they travelled, they took photographs and sent them to their families, friends and colleagues back home, they even posed for photographs with the local population everywhere they went. In short, they were amazed and this was indeed a sign of good and focussed leadership and a progressing country.
President Kagame told the visiting students that they should know that their future will depend on how they shape it, adding that leadership in Rwanda is promoting durable and sustainable socio-economic community development and that the youth have the responsibility to take up the mantle and build on the foundation that has already been laid and continue in the same promising vision.
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