The Head of State made the disclosure as he officiated the opening of the 18th National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano) at Kigali Convention Centre. The meeting brought together over 1500 participants while others followed it virtually from different sites countrywide.

He reminisced on primitive mindsets of people who always tend to lean on aid like weak people, sick or people with other problems noting that no one should be proud of it.

“I am not sure if there is a Rwandan proud of reliance on assistance forever. Until when they will continue giving us the aid? [...] We should not be living this way,” he said Kagame.

He explained that there is no dignity in persistent reliance on aid and reminded that the beneficiary ends up being disappointed.

“They support you and get slapped in return. They get on your wick until they teach you cultures, how to behave and end up in a situation where Rwandans seem to have no culture because of the aid,” noted Kagame.

The President has also reminded leaders to represent citizens’ interests instead of prioritizing personal gains.

Umushyikirano is Kinyarwanda’s equivalent of ‘dialogue’. During the dialogue, participants exchange ideas, share experiences, peer review and question each other. Today Umushyikirano is known as the National Dialogue Council.

As part of efforts to reconstruct Rwanda and nurture a shared national identity, the Government of Rwanda drew on aspects of Rwandan culture and traditional practices to enrich and adapt its development programs to the country’s needs and context.

The result is a set of Home Grown Solutions – culturally owned practices translated into sustainable development programs. One of these Home Grown Solutions is Umushyikirano.

Governed by the Rwandan Constitution (Article 168), Umushyikirano is a forum where participants debate issues relating to the state of the nation, the state of local government and national unity.

President Kagame has said that nobody should be proud of persistent reliance on aid.