President Kagame speaks at ALU School of Business Graduation | 7 July 2018
Directed by: Armand Kazungu
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Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Class 2018, congratulations once again.
00:07 [APPLAUSE]
00:12 Fred Swanika Chairman and the founder of African Leadership
00:18 University, Acha Leke and Chris Bradford,
00:27 co-founders, special guests, [INAUDIBLE]
00:32 members of the LLU board and LLU executive committee,
00:41 provost, dean, faculty, and staff of the LLU School
00:46 of Business, graduates, and your families and friends,
00:56 distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
00:58 This graduation is a moment of celebration
01:11 and the promise of even more success
01:17 to come for you individually, as well as for your families
01:24 and countries.
01:25 I want to congratulate the founders of the African
01:33 Leadership University, as well as the faculty and staff
01:39 of the LLU School of Business on this first graduation
01:48 at the Rwanda campus.
01:51 Graduates, the second home of LLU Rwanda
02:01 is proud to be associated with this unique, ambitious
02:13 institution.
02:17 Excellence and answers to Africa's greatest challenges
02:26 are to be found right here in Africa.
02:33 And we just need the conviction and confidence to go for it.
02:44 This is what LLU represents.
02:49 By bringing together Africa's brightest young leaders
02:59 and giving them the tools and opportunity
03:03 to put their talents to use, you are
03:08 playing a critical role in the transformation
03:14 of our continent.
03:15 You can count on our support in this important work.
03:23 A few words to the new graduates.
03:34 The cooperation that you have shaped with your colleagues
03:40 during your time here is important.
03:45 It can only strengthen the unity and cooperation
03:51 we are building across the continent
03:55 and the more productive partnerships
03:59 we seek with the rest of the world.
04:04 You are graduating as leaders of this century
04:10 with the ability and capacity to deal with today's challenges.
04:16 Allow me to draw from some of our own experiences
04:25 here in Rwanda.
04:30 Earlier this week, we celebrated the 24th anniversary
04:36 of our country's liberation.
04:37 When we first set out, many of us in the liberation struggle
04:47 did not have much management or leadership experience.
04:57 We were forced to learn quickly from situations
05:02 as they evolved, often without warning.
05:07 And we had to devise solutions accordingly just to stay alive.
05:17 Some of the calculated risks we took failed.
05:25 Failed.
05:28 But many paid off.
05:31 This was the case on the battlefront and later on
05:39 as we worked to govern and manage our relations
05:46 with other countries.
05:50 The lesson here was that there will always
05:56 be challenges along the way.
06:01 What matters is to find ways to confront them head on
06:08 and to continually make progress.
06:15 Many of you will be putting your MBA to use
06:20 on a continent that is better off than it has ever been
06:27 and changing rapidly.
06:32 At the same time, we are all keenly aware
06:36 of global uncertainty.
06:41 Nationalism and protectionism are on the increase
06:48 as citizens question their political systems,
06:54 even in the most economically advanced nations.
07:02 However, as bleak as the news may seem at times,
07:11 there is opportunity for African countries
07:16 to get better organized and provide leadership
07:22 on vital global issues.
07:27 On the other hand, the world also generally
07:33 keeps improving and getting better.
07:37 For example, the African Union is steadily
07:44 implementing our institutional reform
07:49 as we continue to pursue greater integration
07:56 and economic prosperity.
07:59 To date, 49 countries have signed the African Continental
08:08 Free Trade Agreement.
08:11 [APPLAUSE]
08:19 More than half of member states have also
08:25 signed the agreement on the free movement of people.
08:32 [APPLAUSE]
08:35 Strive, I wanted to let you know that it may not take you
08:45 another 10 years to dig from one country to another.
08:52 And you know, by the way, the reason
08:55 when you arrived in Rwanda, you didn't spend much time
09:01 without getting the approvals.
09:08 The reason is simple.
09:10 It actually builds on how we count here in Rwanda.
09:15 When you arrived, we counted those 10 years.
09:18 [LAUGHTER]
09:21 [APPLAUSE]
09:24 We realized you had been delayed for 10 years.
09:33 So we just had to add a few days or weeks.
09:38 So that's how we count.
09:40 And I think things keep getting better across our continent.
09:47 I'm sure if you went back where you started from,
09:51 things would be quicker today, as you would experience.
09:57 These positive developments provide immense scope
10:04 for graduates like you with entrepreneurial talent
10:11 and skills.
10:11 You have such a major stake.
10:18 And we hope that you will get involved at all levels
10:24 and in all sectors to drive Africa's transformation
10:30 agenda.
10:32 In keeping with the aims of your education here at ALU,
10:38 I trust that you will find common purpose
10:44 in this worthy undertaking.
10:49 I want to congratulate you once again
10:54 and conclude by expressing our appreciation
11:00 to the founders of the African Leadership University.
11:10 You are demonstrating that it is possible to provide
11:16 relevant world-class education and to nurture leaders
11:23 who can thrive globally while remaining
11:29 grounded in African values, culture, and the real
11:35 challenges we all face.
11:40 Once again, all the best to you, all the graduates.
11:48 And we wish you every success as you continue
11:56 on your respective leadership journeys.
12:02 Thank you for your kind attention.
12:04 [APPLAUSE]
12:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]