Kigali, 5 July 2013
This morning at Petit Stade, President Kagame joined by First Lady Jeannette Kagame met with over three thousand women from across Rwanda as part of the Meet the President series. Referring to Rwandan women as mothers, sisters and partners, President Kagame reminded all those present of the significance of the liberation day celebrated a day before:
“The liberation day we celebrated marked the liberation for all Rwandans with no exceptions. We cannot speak of a liberated and developed nation if we do not include women. RPF and Rwanda stand for inclusive politics where all members of society are equal.”
President Kagame urged all women present to begin by believing in their right to equality:
“Gender equality in every sector is not a favor, it is your right. It is the way it should be. The right to equality is not something that can be given or taken. It begins with each of you believing in your equal ability to achieve.”
President Kagame added that striving for gender equality is not solely a women’s issue:
“Fighting against inequality and poverty and working for development will only succeed if it involves men and women equally. It is the responsibility of each of us. We cannot claim to be on a sustainable path to transform Rwanda if we exclude women who are more than half of the population.”
Earlier, President of the National Women’s Council, Francesca Tengera, shared a few of Rwanda’s accomplishments in the empowerment of women:
“Women today have access to credit to start businesses, they inherit land and they are not afraid to join any profession. We have women who fly planes, women in the construction business and we lead the world in the number of women in Parliament.”
Sharing her story from orphan to successful young entrepreneur in the field of IT, Chance Tubane also thanked President Kagame for his leadership:
“Thank you for giving me faith in my ability to achieve my dreams. Your leadership has allowed me to dream bigger and I plan to expand my business far beyond Rwanda.”
President Kagame concluded the event by calling on all present to go beyond discussions:
“To achieve self reliance and build a dignified nation, we must follow our words with action.”