I have been reflecting on President Kagame’s speech at the 17^th Umushyikirano, the last of the decade.  The President’s charge to youth resonated with me most because I have grappled with what he asked them to do many a day, in my last nearly ten years of working in Rwanda and across Africa.

On many occasions, I am amazed and sometimes disturbed by how many people are okay sitting quietly when things are not going right. Many of us would rather stay silent and allow progress to stall than stick our neck out for what is right. This is largely because many are paralyzed by the fear of retaliation by those in authority, especially losing their job, meaning no food at their table. Others simply do not care, as long as the paycheck is coming at the end of the month.   Many of us a quick to point a finger to someone else instead of taking responsibility for our part in keeping us from moving forward.

I wonder, to what end? How can we build the Rwanda – Africa we have right now and the one we want when cannot speak/stand for better? Those in authority and all of us who are led have equal responsibility to deliver the results we want.   For you our youth, the stakes are even higher because your future depends on how you handle yourself in such situations.  You can challenge those in authority to do better for you – for us, by standing on the side of the results we seek.

President Kagame’s charge to Rwanda’s youth is one we must all take to heart.

“Do not let our old mindset become yours, do not go back to bad habits, of not taking responsibility, of being afraid of speaking up to your superiors. Reject the mindset of accepting to be led wrong, do not be dragged down to a lower level. Do not look for a reason not to do something, look for a reason to get it done. If you believe it should be done, do not be afraid of what people will think of you. Some choose to use budget as an excuse, others create committees as a way of shying away from individual responsibility. What do you gain from this? What profit do you get? There is nothing to gain from empty protocols towards those higher ups. You can be straight to the point, you can be firm, politely, and get results. That is what we want.”

It certainly takes heart to challenge your leadership, reject poor leadership or tolerate those who continue to do the bare minimum thus retarding our progress.  For those in authority, know that every one of us has a job to do and should be challenged when there are areas to improve for the betterment of the people we serve/lead.   Each day you allow a bad working culture, mediocrity, favoritism, keep status quo and so on and so forth that is not elevating your people or organization, you are complacent to keeping everyone in the organization from thriving and therefore holding Rwanda – Africa back.   This new decade, starting now, we all must commit to truly building the Rwanda – Africa we want, and only getting desired results is how to.

Dear Young Leaders, every day is a chance for you to shine and only you can choose to shine bright or not for the future you want to see.  What shall your choice be?