Paul Kagame Quotes & Sayings

National security is vital for economic and social progress. — Paul Kagame

I do not want to be cynical, but if developing nations are kept backward by being told, again and again, you belong to the poor and you are there, where you actually belong, then nothing will change. — Paul Kagame

I grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, and I lived there for 30 years. That shapes one's character. — Paul Kagame

Africa's story has been written by others; we need to own our problems and solutions and write our story. — Paul Kagame

Human rights are not the preserve of Western activists: The definition must extend to encompass the right to the dignified life; the right to send your kids to school, for that child to get health care, for access for greater prosperity for generations to come and to have a say in the destiny of your community and country. Under that definition, Rwanda has nothing to learn from advocacy groups who think they own the copyright on what constitutes human rights under all conditions in every corner of the world. — Paul Kagame

Such problems are not solved in one day but there is a great step toward peace and security in the region. — Paul Kagame

Rwanda is a very open and free country. Key to our recovery as a nation has a range of grassroots, citizen-centered polices we call "homegrown solutions." The idea that Rwanda is highly controlled from the center belies the reality, which is that citizens in every village have a powerful say in how things get done. We prize accountability and Rwandans are quickly adapting themselves to the possibilities of a digital economy. — Paul Kagame

My purpose is to develop a country, to empower its population. It's from that same population that will emerge the man or woman who will succeed me. And they will be chosen based on the consensus that they have the capacity to lead the country. — Paul Kagame

We've used aid to build capacities so we won't need aid in future. — Paul Kagame

You kept quit ... When these victims wanted your help to survive, you kept quit. — Paul Kagame

Infrastructure is key, but also how it's used, and that's political. — Paul Kagame

Politics is not only about personal choice. That one also needs to take into consideration what the people want because in the end, they are the ones who decide. — Paul Kagame

I often wonder why the West is much more interested in aid deliveries than in fair trade, for example. The fair exchange of goods would place far more money into the hands of the affected people than relief operations. — Paul Kagame

Human rights groups are locked in a fierce competition for big checks from wealthy donors and they need to generate big headlines. — Paul Kagame

The West has institutions that can punish the misconduct of individuals. What drove Rwanda and Africa into decline was the fact that certain people weren't held accountable. When we move to make corrupt mayors or officers answer to the courts, people always immediately say that we are repressive. But should we allow these people to continue to get away with it? — Paul Kagame

The new Rwanda is about building an economy that delivers prosperity and opportunity for our citizens based on a robust private sector. Foreign adventures would be costly and counterproductive distractions from these challenging objectives. — Paul Kagame

Aid leads to more aid and more aid and more aid and less independence of the people that are receiving aid. — Paul Kagame

Israel and Rwanda both play an active part in international organizations, including the U.N., but I think it's true that our unique experiences as nations have shaped a fierce independence that we will not relinquish. — Paul Kagame

I know that the fact that I am candidate to my own succession in 2017 can be perceived to be a bad thing by some part of the public opinion outside Rwanda and I don't mind because I know that I am doing it for a good cause. It really doesn't matter to me that my name is associated to those critics as long as I know that I am doing the will of the people. — Paul Kagame

Listen more to the one who criticizes you and less to
the one who praises you. Learn from them and do
something about it. — Paul Kagame

It is better for a country to have a strong leader, this applies to the United States as well as to Rwanda. — Paul Kagame

Moving container from Kigali to Mombasa used to take 22 days, now it takes 6 days. — Paul Kagame

We cannot turn the clock back nor can we undo the harm caused, but we have the power to determine the future and to ensure that what happened never happens again. — Paul Kagame

Aid makes itself superfluous if it is working well. Good aid takes care to provide functioning structures and good training that enables the recipient country to later get by without foreign aid. Otherwise, it is bad aid. — Paul Kagame

Rwanda is not over needing aid, but we can survive with less aid than before. — Paul Kagame

I had to fight hard for everything. I wanted to get out. I want to take my destiny into my own hands and escape the vicious cycle of retaliatory violence. This struggle has shaped who I am to this day. — Paul Kagame

Rwanda has its own problems and never sought to blame others or cause others trouble. I advise Burundi to do the same. — Paul Kagame

Strong economic growth, and especially a significant increase in private sector investment, is the only sustainable path forward for Rwanda. — Paul Kagame

It is the population which decides when it's time for a leader to leave, not foreign powers. — Paul Kagame

The efficiency of a President at the beginning of his term depends on their capacity to get everything under control. That was my case. But once the institutions have been put in place, and the responsibilities delegated, the leader becomes a reference, a referee, a symbol and unifying figure for the nation. The issue is how and when to recognize the moment when staying in power becomes counterproductive. — Paul Kagame

There are things I admire, for example, about South Korea or Singapore. I admire their history, their development and how intensively they have invested in their people and in technology. — Paul Kagame

There are some who are scared by unity and by building a country on the basis of ideas. — Paul Kagame

The West is anything but altruistic. — Paul Kagame

In Africa today, we recognise that trade and investment, and not aid, are pillars of development. — Paul Kagame

Democracy holds little appeal for people who are struggling to survive. — Paul Kagame

It is the first time in the history of Rwanda that political change in the highest leadership of the country has taken place in peace and security. — Paul Kagame

Rwanda is a monarchy not a democracy. — Paul Kagame

There is a need to take advantage of the change that has taken place in the Congo, however tragic that has been in its coming. — Paul Kagame

Technology has brought many possibilities in education and health that are key to women. — Paul Kagame

I am not responsible for creating an opposition, neither am I responsible for appointing my own successor. My job is to allow for the opposition to exist within what the realms of the law. There is space in Rwanda for political parties - if fact we have about a dozen of them - as long as their objective is not to take us back twenty two years. On that point, we are and will always be very vigilant. — Paul Kagame

Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out. — Paul Kagame

The history and national interest of Rwanda and the Rwandan people dictate our national orientation. — Paul Kagame