Kigali. Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, has criticised the global economic order, warning that Africa risks continued exploitation unless the continent unites and asserts its interests.
Speaking during a fireside chat at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali today, President Kagame said African countries could no longer afford to remain passive while foreign powers extracted the continent’s wealth.
“We can’t just be people who are waiting to be ripped off by somebody who is shrewd enough and has the power to come. No, we must be able to say no,” he said, drawing applause from delegates attending the forum.
The Rwandan leader said that despite Africa’s vast natural resources, abundant solar potential and rapidly growing population, the continent continued to occupy a disadvantaged position in the global economy because it had failed to leverage its strengths collectively.
He said the current geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty should serve as a wake-up call for African countries to rethink their place in the world and prioritise self-reliance.
“There will always be crises. We had slave trade, colonial times, wars, pandemics and many other challenges. We are in another cycle now driven geopolitically, but Africa must learn from this and shape its own future,” he said.
President Kagame noted that Africa possesses about 60 percent of the world’s solar potential and much of the critical minerals required for battery manufacturing, yet continued to lose much of its wealth cheaply to external powers.
He also criticised what he described as double standards by Western countries, accusing them of promoting democracy and human rights while simultaneously exploiting African nations.
“These powers come here lecturing people on democracy and human rights with one arm, and with the other they are taking away everything people own,” he said.
His remarks came as discussions turned to sanctions imposed on Rwanda by the United States earlier this year over tensions linked to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Asked whether Rwanda would bow to international pressure, President Kagame said his government would not capitulate.
“Sanctions are meant to hurt people, and yes, they hurt. But I think we would be hurt more by not doing what we are doing. Sometimes it costs more to say yes to the wrong thing,” he said.
The president urged African leaders to move beyond discussions and focus on concrete action and stronger continental cooperation.
“Africa looking within is not entirely a bad thing. These pressures are reminding us to wake up,” he said.
President Kagame also praised Africa’s private sector, describing entrepreneurs as “hustlers” who were advancing despite obstacles created by public institutions.
“The private sector is actually ahead of the public sector, but we would serve much better by bringing the two closer together,” he said.
In his closing remarks, the Rwandan leader called on Africans to recognise the continent’s untapped potential and ensure its resources benefited its people.
“The continent has a lot that is not being put to good use, and it is up to us - not people from anywhere else - to raise ourselves to the level where we should be,” he said.
