President Kagame participated in the Presidential Roundtable at the US-Africa Business Summit organized by Corporate Council on Africa in Washington D.C. With the other Heads of State on the panel – the Presidents of Ghana, Congo, and Sao Tome and Principe, President Kagame addressed a range of questions centered mainly on regional integration, sharing with the audience of over 1500 business people, how Rwanda has transformed in the last fifteen years to become a leading reformer.
The general consensus by the panelists was that Africa takes integration seriously, and that African regions are becoming more coherent even when negotiating with other trading blocks such as the European Union.
President Kagame highlighted the fact that infrastructure remains the main challenge in integrating Africa, “we need, good roads, functioning railways, and energy – these will permit Africa to increase inter-regional and international trade and to attract a greater share of global investment”.