President Paul Kagame was on 24 October 2024 recognized by the All-Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) in collaboration with CNBC Africa as the African of the Year at Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa.
According to the organizers, the winner is awarded for “their commitment to excellence and transformative leadership that inspires us all to embrace the potential of our continent.” Thus, a rigorous selection process is employed, where a panel of esteemed judges evaluate nominees on various criteria.
Among these are: Vision and Leadership, where candidates must demonstrate visionary leadership that aligns with their country’s growth trajectory. Social Impact, that sees nominees assessed for their contribution to addressing key social challenges–education, healthcare, and economic empowerment.
Innovation in sustainable solutions that nurture self-reliance and progress is also considered, alongside measurable economic contributions that boost national and regional economies. Together, these factors contribute to long-term impact and influence across Africa.
Kagame’s recognition highlights his achievements, setting him apart as a modern African leader with a strong vision. But what specific accomplishments from the past year led to this honor?
Free and fair elections
We will start off with how novel it has become in Africa for topmost leaders to be elected through free and fair elections. Let alone winning with landslide victory. In July 2024, 99.18% of Rwandans declared Kagame their president for the next five years–if this isn’t love, then we don’t know what it is, a love contagious that it cuts across borders and radiates on others, AABLA not excluded.
Some may argue that these were new voters (over 2 million people were first time voters) who know little to nothing about politics, hence may have followed the ‘crowd’ and not logic. But let’s face it: Rwanda’s immediate neighbors Kenya and Uganda have youth as their highest population and voters, yet they choose their opposition parties over the one in power any day. Young Rwandans vote of choice is, however, par for the course.
Youth empowerment
Over the years, Kagame’s leadership has put the youth on the front–if economic reforms, investment in infrastructure and focus on key sectors such as tourism and technology are any indicator. These have tremendously created job opportunities for the young lads, fostering a love for their country, hence active participation in its leadership.
Furthermore, on many occasions, Kagame has been spotted actively engaging and supporting the youth during sports events like the recently concluded FIBA women’s Basketball tournament (it’s not very often you find an African president trading their leisure time to watch their national team play), musical concerts like Move Afrika, and notably how he stood up for Frank Musinguzi, a young entrepreneur who almost lost ownership of his motel to Rtd Col. Mabano in August 2023 (the head of state ordered immediate investigations into the matter and in less than a month, Musinguzi’s case was resolved).
Peace and Economic growth
Similarly, the older generations praise Kagame for his altruistic leadership. As the Commander in Chief for RPF, Kagame has played an instrumental role in promoting peace and stability in the country. It is not news what and how the 1994 genocide against the tutsi left the country in shambles. Yet, after just three decades, Rwanda is ranked amongst the fastest-growing, cleanest and safest country on the continent and around the globe. A milestone that was celebrated in the presence of over a dozen current and former heads of states from around the world on April, 7th, 2024, at BK Arena.
This consequential transformation has henceforth made the land of a thousand hills an investment destination, attracting international partners for investments and infrastructure initiatives like Kigali Innovation City, which provides opportunities for tech startups. Not to mention the refurbishment of Amahoro stadium to a world class stadium, and upcoming projects like Zaria courts, among others.
Gender equality
Under Kagame’s leadership, gender equality has been a priority. Thanks to his commitment to policies that promote equality, women now hold over two-thirds of parliamentary seats and 50 percent of cabinet positions.
This has motivated Rwandan women like Queen Kalimpinya, Salima Munkansanga, Alyn Sano, DJ Brianne, amongst others to take up spaces in industries that were once male dominated. Additionally, in 2023, Rwanda launched the first ever National Gender Standards–an initiative that provides guidance and best practices for organisations to adopt and implement gender-sensitive policies and practices in their workplaces.
