Nairobi — Rwandan President Paul Kagame has accused the global neighborhood of the expend of reduction as a tool of alter over establishing countries.
In an interview with Mario Nawfal, a media persona on X, Kagame asserted that foreign support is often weaponized to impact the insurance policies and choices of recipient countries.
Talking on the problem, Kagame acknowledged that while reduction has been a must-possess in Rwanda’s recovery and constructing, it has additionally been used to foster dependency and exert impact over governments.
“It [aid] can be a liability on a country depending on how it is managed, and that has been our position from the beginning,” he stated.
“We appreciate aid, we needed it, and we still need it to an extent, but we need it to build capacities so that we don’t need it in the near future.”
Kagame argued that the global neighborhood deliberately ensures that establishing countries remain counting on reduction, thereby allowing donors to dictate their insurance policies.
“The other [problem] is whoever gives aid controls your life. In fact, that is why they want you to stay with the aid so that they continue controlling your life and even threaten, use it as a tool to direct you where they want you to go,” he stated.
Kagame’ s assertion comes at a time when the global neighborhood has persevered to out extra strain stepping up sanctions on Kigali accusing it of backing the M23 rebels–a yell Rwanda has persistently denied.
He additional identified that Rwanda’s stance on responsible reduction utilization has often led to criticism and untrue accusations against its management.
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“Some of us have been branded as arrogant, insensitive, or dictatorial just because we said we want to differentiate things. It is not that we don’t want aid for the sake of not wanting it. We are saying aid creates dependency–not only dependency but also control,” he added.
Kagame recalled discussions from as early as 1998 when Rwanda, light making improvements to from the devastating 1994 genocide, became heavily reliant on foreign reduction.
He recounted a dialog with Clare Brief, the then UK Minister for Worldwide Constructing, the put he expressed his desire for reduction to be directed in a skill that would empower Rwanda to develop to be self-ample.
“I told her, ‘I appreciate your aid a lot. It is almost indispensable in that situation we were in. But at the same time, I want to start early, I want to be responsible, and I keep talking to our leaders and other ministers that we need to start being responsible for ourselves,”‘ Kagame recalled.
Kagame eminent that Brief became receptive to his tips, even though-provoking diversified ministers from allied countries to hear to his perspective on the expend and administration of reduction.
This engagement according to Kagame at closing led to agreements that ensured accountability and transparency in reduction allocation, together with impartial audits
Kagame insisted that while Rwanda continues to procure reduction the put wanted, such support ought to be used strategically to possess sustainable capacities of establishing countries as adversarial to perpetuate dependency.
“It is a standard for us. That is what we say, and that is what we do,” he affirmed.
