President Paul Kagame has called upon world leaders to look beyond the Millennium Development Goals that were set for 2015 and argued for a post-2015 agenda that goes beyond poverty reduction.
The president made the call ahead of the UN General Assembly that will convene to discuss the post-2015 agenda in New York. In his article that was published by Aljazeera, Kagame said that in defining the post-2015 agenda, leaders must also show courage to go beyond the MDGs. “For Rwanda, the MDGs are a floor, not a ceiling,” he wrote.
According to the Head of State, the post-2015 agenda also demands developing nations to take greater ownership of their destiny. “For too long Africa has been a silent continent; now, buoyed by economic and political progress, we are beginning to show our true potential. And much of this has been achieved through home-grown solutions,” said Kagame.
He explained that throughout Rwanda, citizens meet to agree on key development priorities for their village – a new road or classroom, a bridge or a well. The President sees this as developmental ground that involves concerned population that does not need illusions but tangible instances.
“We have found that empowering local leaders, while demanding accountability, is an effective catalyst for development. As well as helping ensure development meets the needs of the population, it builds capacity at a local level and gives citizens a meaningful stake in their future.”
President Kagame preached against focusing on poverty reduction alone: “It is simply not enough to focus on poverty reduction. This is why whenever we talk about development we talk about wealth creation and growth.
It is why we continue to invest heavily in education and new technology. For many African nations, the youth is our greatest resource. And by investing in their success – giving them access to learning, laptops, fibre-optic broadband 4G networks – we can lay the foundations for future defined by possibilities, not despondency and desperation”.