Africa-Press – Rwanda. President Paul Kagame has said that the economic decisions of United States President Donald Trump are yet another reminder that Africa should have built a momentum of becoming self-dependent and resilient.
He was speaking on a high-level panel discussion on policies, practices, and personalities fit for a new world order at the opening of the Africa CEO Forum, on May 12, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The annual forum, which began on Monday with the theme “Africa in a Transactional World: Can a New Deal between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”, has brought together more than 2,000 business leaders, investors, and policymakers from Africa and around the world.
Kagame said that with the context of how Africa has been doing things for decades, the continent shouldn’t wake up one morning to react to what somebody has said or done that affects it, whether it is Trump or anyone else.
President Paul Kagame and other panelists during a high-level panel discussion on policies at the opening of the Africa CEO Forum, on May 12, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Photos by Village Urugwiro
“We should have been building momentum in terms of what we need to do to make Africa self-dependent and resilient, and how Africa works with other continents and countries,” said Kagame, who was on a panel with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania.
“It is as well that President Trump decided to do what he did; if that was only to add to many other reminders that should wake us up as Africans to be able to do what we ought to do,” he added.
Kagame noted that leaders often talk about the continent’s potential, but the question should be how to realize it.
Delegates at the opening of the Africa CEO Forum, on May 12, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Photos by Village Urugwiro
“The people of this continent need to take the bull by its horns and deal with the problem,” said the President.
“We need to be working with each other and other countries on the global stage that offer what we need and offer [them] what they need.”
He pointed out a pain point that Africa seems to always wake Africans up to the reality when foreign aids are cut and start scrambling, yet it has happened so many times before
“There is a mentality out there on our continent that somebody is going to foot the bill of our development, and that has undermined our efforts to contribute as much as we can for our own development,” he said.
Having been the champion of African Union reforms, Kagame said there was a sense of frustration that what leaders have agreed on at the AU and how regional communities should work together to drive economic development has yet to be implemented.
“The systems are so bureaucratic that you would imagine they live in another world, not this one,” he said. “That is so harsh to us that we need to do certain things certain ways without expecting that somebody will always be kind to us, and that’s what we will depend on forever.”
With the knowledge, vision, resources, and organization Africa has, Kagame said that the continent should be far ahead of where it is now, adding that Africans shouldn’t take any comfort that some progress has been made in some respects.
President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania took note of the reality that the private sector is essential in financing and providing services for national development.
“Our economic and social development can be increased through a dynamic private sector with more ambition and commitment to public action,” said Ghazouani.
On the other hand, the Vice President of Côte d’Ivoire, Tiemoko Meyliet Kone, emphasized that only good governance allows to creation of the necessary framework for the evolution of activities of the private sector.
He highlighted that it is good governance that will harness the private sector to implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
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