Politics

Kagame advises new cabinet on collaboration

Published

4 months ago

August 22, 2024

Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, wants his new cabinet to work together, as he considers his latest five-year tenure a public endorsement and an opportunity to improve his record.

After taking office this week, most of them reappointed, President Paul Kagame informed the ministers they must not work alone, a trend he had seen earlier.

The 21 cabinet ministers and 9 state ministers will serve with Kagame for the upcoming five-year term unless removed or reshuffled. Last Monday, the president took the oath of office for another term after a huge July election victory.

“The country’s development cannot be achieved by the works of one individual, however excellent or sacrificial the person is.

“People and organs have to work together, that’s how a country develops there’s no other way around it, but the habit of working in isolation keeps coming back.”

He will likely want unity from his government, along with integrity and commitment. Rwanda, like most countries in the region, is facing economic uncertainty after geopolitical concerns and the COVID-19 outbreak.

On Tuesday, he advised ministers to prioritise Rwanda. Rwanda’s rise from 1994’s slaughter to stability is an inspiration. Kagame’s practicality and micromanagement contributed to his success.

“There are times I am looking for someone and I call, only to be told the person is in a meeting, on calling another one I am told the same thing.

“When I wait and try again in the evening and I am still told the person is in a meeting, when do you work, when do you implement the things you meet about?

“Only go for a meeting if it is indispensable, even then first identify the key points to meet about and come up with clear expected outcomes. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, a maximum of an hour,” said Kagame.

“You find someone cordoning off other people from using the elevator, because ‘the boss’ is going to use it. Why do you still do these things? The elevator is for all people to use”

“Others have been branded VVIPs, and some leaders have their briefcases and bags carried for them. What is all that for? Where are these tendencies coming from?” questioned Kagame.

President Kagame has acknowledged that ministries have returned the country to growth from Covid-19 and reached 8% GDP growth. H advises the new team to improve.

“I am not asking you to do the impossible. The things I challenge you to do are things that are possible to achieve.”

Rwanda trades with surrounding nations, but tensions have arisen. His new team must repair relations.

Related Topics:Featured President Paul Kagame Rwanda

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.