Kagame met Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), at Urugwiro Village as Rwanda reiterated its commitment to implementing the continental trade agreement.

The discussions also highlighted the need for African countries to honour their commitments under AfCFTA if the continent is to achieve its ambition of expanding trade among member states.

The agreement establishing AfCFTA was signed in Kigali in March 2018 and entered into force in May 2019 after securing the required ratifications. It seeks to create a single African market by progressively removing trade barriers, including tariffs on 90% of goods traded across the continent. In 2024, intra-African trade was estimated at about $220 billion.

Kagame also received Monica Geingos, former First Lady of Namibia and Chancellor of Kepler College, who was in Kigali for the Africa Mindset Reset Forum.

Their discussions focused on education and access to opportunity in advancing youth empowerment in Rwanda and across the continent.

Geingos, who served as Namibia’s First Lady from 2015 until the death of her husband, former President Hage Geingob, in February 2024, has been involved in initiatives supporting youth and social development. She was appointed Chancellor of Kepler College in July 2024.

Kepler began in Rwanda in 2004 as Orphans of Rwanda before becoming Generation Rwanda and later developing into Kepler, an institution focused on expanding access to higher education and employment opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Kagame also met Mbeki, who was in Kigali for the Africa Mindset Reset Forum. Their discussions focused on the objectives of the forum and the need for good governance to support Africa’s mindset shift.
Mbeki served as President of South Africa from 1999 to 2008.

The two-day Africa Mindset Reset Forum brought together African leaders, policymakers, young people and other participants in Kigali to discuss approaches to the continent’s development and leadership.

Speaking at the forum, Kagame said Africa has the people and resources needed to succeed but is held back by attitudes that Africans need to confront.

He urged Africans to recognise and support one another’s achievements instead of continually looking outside the continent for validation and inspiration.