President Kagame Speech at the National Assembly of Djibouti

Excellency Arnaoud Ali, President of national assembly,

Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister of Djibouti

Hon. Ministers

Hon. Members of parliament

Senior officials

Distinguished

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning,

It’s a great pleasure and honor to address the national assembly and the cabinet of Djibouti and I thank you for the invitation to do so. I would like to thank my brother and friend, President Ismael Omar Guelleh to the government and of course to people of this beautiful country for the warm welcome and generous hospitality.

Rwanda and Djibouti do not share a border but distance is no obstacle to friendship and we have common aspirations for stable and prosperous continent where all Africans live in dignity.

Djibouti’s rapid development is plain to see and it has positive impact beyond your borders in particular, we are proud of Djibouti’s able management of your geo-political capital.

We salute the progress you are making and seek to join hands with you. We seek the same things for our people; education, health, knowledge and prosperity. This is why an essential element for Rwanda’s strategy is integration both economic and political with partner states across our region.

Rwanda and Djibouti also share a firm commitment to the unity of the continent and our people. African unity is not just a theory but a practical way to reach our potential as Africans and to take full advantage of the benefits of globalization.

After all, Africa has everything needed to create the opportunity for a hopeful present and a bright future for all of us.

We are inherited by universal values and principles but each country’s challenges are unique. The most successful nations act based on clear understanding of their own circumstances and history responding to the needs of citizens and their full participation.

However, we benefit greatly learning from each other’s experiences. We must also cooperate and speak with one voice as a continent, whatever challenges we have both collectively and in our respective countries are easier to address when we stay united.

I am happy to report to you that following the decision by heads of state at the summit African institutional reform of the African Union is already underway. These changes will make African Union efficient, fit for purpose and financially sustainable.

I have the honor of working on this process together with the chairman of the African union,

President Alpha Conde, the current chair, President Idriss Derby; the former AU and as African legislators we count on you to be strong advocates for the reform process particularly in ensuring that citizens ‘understanding’ of what the plan change mean and facilitating their full participation.

Distinguished honorary members of this house and leaders of Djibouti, our visit to Djibouti follows on last year’s visit by President Guelleh to Rwanda and we are making a good progress in ensuring that our close bilateral relations result in tangible benefits for the people of Djibouti and people of Rwanda together.

We want more Rwandans and Djiboutians to visit each other, learn from each other, invest in each other’s countries and do more business together as well and as with the rest of the world. Indeed, the solidarity between Rwanda and Djibouti is a firm foundation for our joint pursuit of socio-economic transformation.

We look forward to deepening our partnerships in the years ahead of us.  I thank you very much for your kind attention.