KIGALI, Rwanda – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today made the following statement about her visit to Rwanda, which is taking place from January 27-28, 2016.
“Today I am joined in Kigali by the group of senior executives who comprise the President’s Council on Doing Business in Africa. Their charge is to provide recommendations to President Obama and myself on policy steps we can take to strengthen commercial engagement between the United States and countries across Africa, including how to build lasting partnerships between the U.S. and African private sectors.
“Over the last six months, members of the Council were charged with developing a vision for their first collective trip to the continent. They chose Rwanda as one of two destinations because over the past 20 years, the country has been a remarkable success story. Much of this positive progress is the result of a concerted and focused approach to economic and commercial policymaking. The Council members wanted to develop a deeper understanding of what Rwanda has done that has worked, and how Rwanda’s progress can serve as an example for other countries in the region and across the continent.
“Rwanda and the East African Community have a lot to offer U.S. investors. East Africa is the most integrated and fastest-growing regional economic community in Africa. Our visit has provided the PAC-DBIA, as representatives of the American business community, the opportunity to share their perspective on what the governments of the region, in partnership with the United States, can do to foster deeper regional economic and trade ties to overcome challenges related to power, access to capital, and infrastructure, among others. As part of this visit, our delegation today met with President Kagame for a roundtable discussion on the opportunities presented by regional integration.
“We have arrived at a difficult time. Our Administration has expressed its disappointment that President Kagame has chosen to run for a third term in 2017. The reason for our concern is clear: we believe that respecting established term limits can strengthen democratic institutions and help build a vibrant and free society.
“This was among the many topics President Kagame and I discussed today. I reiterated that we believe Rwanda can solidify its security and economic gains by welcoming predictable competition for leadership, as well as embracing the free exchange of ideas and public debates over government policy.
“One lesson I learned during 27 years in the private sector is that senior executives – whether in government or business – need to foster an environment where disparate ideas and creative disagreements can thrive. When individuals have an opportunity to express different points of view, interesting thoughts have the potential to grow into great ideas.
“Running businesses has also taught me that few things are more important to an enterprises’ long-term viability than transition planning. Stakeholders need to know that success is based on a system and a plan, and not on a single individual. I shared these sentiments with President Kagame as well.
“However, the relationship between the United States and Rwanda is deep and mature. Working together, we have seen Rwanda make progress on economic growth, reducing poverty, promoting education and improving public health. Rwanda’s contributions to peacekeeping have also been significant.
“The depth of our relationship does not mean we never have disagreements; rather, the depth of our relationship means that we discuss disagreements openly and candidly and we work together to address them. Nevertheless, when we do disagree, we cannot stop talking to one another. It is at those times that our engagement becomes even more important.”
