Speaking on Sunday, April 28, during the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Rwandan Head of State said there is a need to recognize efforts Africans have put in place in the huge economic strides the continent continues to make.

"As much as you may find problems here and there, Africa is coming together. Africa is moving forward. Different countries have decent or impressive growth of the economy. This can’t be coming from nothing but the good efforts that Africans are putting in place.

"Therefore, it’s important that the rest of the world looks at Africa as an important entity in global affairs be it politics or economy," President Kagame stated.

President Kagame further lauded gains made by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying that its full implementation will significantly boost intra-Africa trade.

"We have developed the African Continental Free Trade Area – in fact, the biggest in the world. What we are trying to do now is to make sure that it becomes real. The obstacles that are there for the African continent to come together are being removed, but it takes time and effort. However, there is progress," he added.

Reflecting on Rwanda’s economic growth over the last 30 years, after the country was derailed by the Genocide against the Tutsi, President Kagame said the country’s gains should provide optimism to the rest of the world.

"So, growth that we continue to realize is driven by what we are trying to do within the country itself, with all those constraints, but also what we can do with sub-regions we find ourselves in or cooperating with. But everything adds to the optimism we are talking about. Looking at where Rwanda has come from and where it is now should actually add to the optimism that people should have, looking at even wider where the world is coming from and where it is going," President Kagame said.

He noted that Rwanda had managed to rise from the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against The Tutsi through sound investments in the people, technology and collaborations with various stakeholders in Africa and beyond.

"We have invested in education, health, and, above all, technology, which has been a focus for us and integrating it into education and health services. For the health service, for example, we have made use of technology like drones which are delivering health services to rural hospitals," he added.

"Rwanda has also not been left behind in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). We have invested in it as well as agriculture. The question for us has been, how do we achieve food self-sufficiency and take it to the integrated continent?"

He noted that accountability and good governance had also contributed to Rwanda’s growth.

"Rwanda has come from the dead 30 years ago and we are now alive and thriving. It’s the investment in our people. Accountability and governance that we bring into play that we share with the rest of the continent," President Kagame added.

The discussions also featured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and Lazard Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Orszag.

Georgieva called for increased collaborations to increase the distribution of resources to underdeveloped countries and marginalised groups.

"Over the last 100 years, despite a huge second world war and despite the cold war that followed, we as humanity have achieved so much. Life expectancy almost doubled, income per capita has increased eight times, with the population almost tripling. The question is: how did we do it? We did it with technology and we did it with capital accumulation, and then deployment of capital to generate that wealth.

"Where did we fail? And we have to be honest and admit it. In a world of plenty, we still have almost 800 million people who are hungry. We failed to more inclusively share the benefits of this growth. I look forward, I am optimistic, and I think in 100 years we can achieve the same degree of wealth but with much better distribution of the benefits of growth. May we have the will to work together to achieve that," the IMF boss stated.

The discussions also featured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and Lazard Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Orszag.