KAGAME ADDRESSES ‘FAKE POVERTY DATA’ ALLEGATIONS

By Our Reporter, Kigali RWANDA

President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, denied Wednesday that government data on dropping poverty in the country was being “faked” to paint picture different from reality.

Inside the Intare Arena where the youth forum was addressed by President Kagame today. The magnificent facility is owned by the RPF party

Global business newspaper Financial Times, in a length article published Tuesday reported that data from the National Institute of Statistics was designed to fit within Kagame’s narrative to hoodwink foreigners. Poverty had instead increased over the years, said the paper.

Government data shows that by 2017, extreme poverty in Rwanda had dropped to 34% of the population, down from over 60% in less than 10 years.

“I wish I could make any data to toe my line because my line, am convinced, is a good one. I will bet with anyone that there is actually nothing fake or fabricated or doctored about the progress we are making.” Kagame said.

The UK based newspaper on Tuesday claimed that Rwanda manipulates data to portray a positive outlook of its social economic progress.

According to Rwanda government newspaper, The New Times, the article came out a day after international agency, Standard and Poor’s, upgraded Rwanda’s credit rating from B to B+  on account of strong economic growth prospects, which are characterised by high investor conference in the economy.   

The rating is an independent assessment of the country’s creditworthiness. It is important because it gives investors insight into the level of risk associated with investing in the debt of a particular country, including any political risk.

President Kagame who was addresing over 2,000 youths from across the country and the diaspora during a meeting at the Rusororo based Intare Conference Arena termed the allegations as Western propaganda.

President Paul Kagame

"There is such a thing as western propaganda". The President warned as he rallied the youth to partake in the fight against western stereotype on Africa. 

“That is why I really want us to be together in this fight, because it is a fight for who we are and who we want to be. It is a fight about ourselves, about Rwandans, about Africans,” he said. “We have been downtrodden largely because of ourselves. Because we have not addressed some of the things that people build on to look down upon us.”

The Financial Times story also claims that a group of World Bank officials had written to the institution’s former President Jim Yong Kim raising alarm at official efforts in Rwanda to fabricate statistics.

Describing the Financial Times story as “western propaganda”, Kagame said that “many stories based on facts” from World Bank, IMF, World Economic Forum have reported differently.

Kagame said the Financial Times story was published as an act of solidarity with France24 television journalist whom he had dismissed during an interview back in June alongside former EU Development Commissioner, Neven Mimica.

In that interview, Kagame angrily lambasted at the journalist’s reference to EU rights report on Rwanda, famously saying: “Who are you”, which was even later turned into a social media hashtag.

Speaking today, Kagame said: “Its like the fraternity out there is trying to rally and defend somebody.”

“To tell you what; that is my right place to be. I honestly enjoy these fights,”, he said, going on that the fight concerned Rwandans and Africans.

He said Africans were the ones making themselves subject to ridicule. “Africans are good at tearing each other apart, quarreling”, instead of fighting for their dignity.