Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, yesterday told global
leaders gathering in Japan's capital, Tokyo to put the private sector at the
heart of strategy for prosperity.
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| African heads of state at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) that went underway on Tuesday in the Japanese city of Yokohama. |
He was speaking at the Tokyo International
Conference on African Development (TICAD), which he described as a valuable
process that represents a spirit of optimism and partnership.
Today, he said, many of TICAD’s innovations
have become standard and the forum has continued to evolve in tandem with
Africa’s priorities.
"The key change is the importance given to the private sector in this
TICAD," he said.
The Head of State cited Rwanda as a critical
example for success when private sector development is put at the heart of
strategy for prosperity.
This, he said, was done using three types of
investment.
Kagame told leaders that Rwanda has made good
use of the World Bank’s Doing Business tools to overhaul the business
environment, and hence effectively allowing enterprises to thrive.
"We established specialised commercial
courts and worked with neighbours for deeper integration to facilitate trade in
the East African Community region," he said.
Rwanda also invested in infrastructure and
technology, allowing public-private partnership to supply wholesale broadband
data to power the digitalisation of the economy, he said.
In addition, the President said, the country
has invested in high-quality convention and tourism facilities.
Most importantly, he added, Rwanda invests in
people, citing that producing “Made in Rwanda” and “Made in Africa” products
required skilled young people who are in good health.
He gave credit to ABE Initiative—a
programme that provides scholarship opportunities for African students to study
at Japanese universities—for significantly contributing toward that.
According to Kagame, on skills development,
Rwanda has also expanded technical and vocational training with an emphasis on
digital skills, as well as funding support for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Kagame commended Japanese private sector
players for their sustained investment in the country, especially in
horticulture, agri-business and technology.
Kagame had earlier in the morning hosted
alongside UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, a breakfast meeting of
African leaders and Champions of Generation Unlimited ahead of TICAD7.
TICAD is billed as a high level policy dialogue
between African leaders and Japanese leaders, which takes place every three
years.
It is a three-day conference.
Plenary sessions are mainly focusing on
accelerating economic transformation and improving the business environment
through innovation and private sector engagement.
Other sessions are expected to revolve around
deepening sustainable and resilient society and strengthening peace and
sustainability.
A public-private business dialogue will also be
an important subject towards facilitating direct engagement between Japanese
and African governments and private sectors.
The Global Green Growth Institute will together
with the African Development Bank launch results of the joint study on green
growth assessment, which covers Rwanda and a few other countries.
The forum will introduce some advancements of
African social policies, including women's quota system in Rwanda.
In the past, President Kagame attended the 5th
and 6th editions of TICAD which were held in Japan and Kenya in 2013 and 2016
respectively.
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