50+ Paul Kagame Quotes On Mindset, Poverty And Africa

Paul Kagame is a Rwandan politician who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was the de facto head of government of Rwanda from 1994 to 2000, while officially holding the position of Vice President and Minister of Defence. Kagame is credited with leading Rwanda's recovery from the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 and for transforming the country into one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Paul Kagame on mindset, poverty, africa.

Top 10 Paul Kagame Quotes

1. 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.
2. Listen more to the one who criticizes you and less to the one who praises you. Learn from them and do something about it.
3. Africa’s story has been written by others; we need to own our problems and solutions and write our story.
4. Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.
5. National security is vital for economic and social progress.
6. 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.
7. Rwanda is a democracy not a monarchy.
8. I grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, and I lived there for 30 years. That shapes one's character.
9. The history and national interest of Rwanda and the Rwandan people dictate our national orientation.
10. Rwanda has its own problems and never sought to blame others or cause others trouble. I advise Burundi to do the same.

Paul Kagame Short Quotes

• Democracy holds little appeal for people who are struggling to survive.
• A strong leader is not necessarily a bad leader.
• Rwanda is not over needing aid, but we can survive with less aid than before.
• Infrastructure is key, but also how it's used, and that's political.
• You kept quiet... When these victims wanted your help to survive, you kept quiet.
• Reconciliation takes time. Sometimes many decades, as the example of Europe shows. It is hard work.
• There are some who are scared by unity and by building a country on the basis of ideas.
• In Africa today, we recognise that trade and investment, and not aid, are pillars of development.
• The West is anything but altruistic.
• It is the population which decides when it's time for a leader to leave, not foreign powers.

Paul Kagame Famous Quotes And Sayings

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

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

My own experience from a decade ago taught me I cannot trust the UN. But it is a world body and we have to live with it and tolerate it. But I can't hide my feelings about its inefficiency and its not being productive. — 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 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

In Rwanda, we have a society that has experienced a very serious rupture and you can't expect all of a sudden that things will be perfect. Even so: You cannot find any more areas where any segment of the population would be afraid to go, like we used to have before. But there is always a lot more to do. — 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

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

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

Reconciliation has taken place here in Rwanda and was successful because Rwandans reconciled themselves internally. If the tribunal had taken place in Rwanda, it might have helped. People could have watched justice being done. — Paul Kagame

Rwanda is rebuilding itself once again as one nation and that is the reason why we are making progress. Now many Rwandans are making their ends meet and others are able to do better than they have before. — 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

When people accuse us of taking coltan from Congo, I don't understand what they mean. The quality of our own coltan here from Rwanda is much better. But still people from the UN come here, we show them our coltan mines, we show them the documents, then they go and say: Rwanda smuggles coltan. — 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

Up to a certain extent the UN soldiers are useful. But they are consuming a lot of resources in relation to the little work they are doing. — 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The situation in Congo shows nothing for which you could hold Rwanda responsible. — 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

Life Lessons by Paul Kagame

1. Paul Kagame's work as a statesman demonstrates the importance of strong leadership and the power of diplomacy to bring about positive change.
2. He has shown that it is possible to foster economic growth and political stability while respecting the rights of all citizens.
3. His example serves as a reminder that it is possible to build a better future through collaboration and consensus-building.