The Head of State was addressing participants of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) Conference taking place for two days in Kigali.

The African Philanthropy Forum is a strong and vibrant community of partners who through their strategic giving, investments and influence, foster shared prosperity on the African continent.

Established in 2014, PF seeks to promote philanthropies with the involvement of Africans and strive for an inclusive development of the African continent.

It brings together over 1400 philanthropists from across the world.

As he presided over the opening ceremony of the forum’s two-day conference on Monday 24th October 2022, President Kagame highlighted the need to increase Africans participation in philanthropies.

“Increasing philanthropic initiatives by African individuals and organizations is critically important, but not only because of the money. It is about having the dignity, as Africans, to choose for ourselves the future we want, and work diligently towards it, together,” he said.

The conference is held under the theme “African Philanthropists Closing the Gender Gap.” It brought together stakeholders in the African philanthropy community to intensify partnerships for greater impact in the gender equity and empowerment space.

Commenting on the issue of gender inequalities, Kagame said: “Discrimination against women and girls is fuelled by distorted mindsets that perceive women as inferior to men. To begin with, men must reject and reverse this. Now, even women, you must refuse that. They are not inferior.”

Rwanda hosts the meeting at a time when it is among top countries promoting the principle of gender balance.

Currently, Rwanda registers 65% of women representation in parliament and 50% in the cabinet.