KIGALI – President Paul Kagame has urged Rwandans to embrace a stronger culture of accountability, saying the country’s future will be determined not only by government policies but also by citizens who are prepared to challenge wrongdoing instead of remaining silent.
Speaking at the conclusion of an extended meeting of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) Bureau Politique on Friday, Kagame reflected on Rwanda’s transformation over the past decades.
In his view, the country’s achievements have been possible because of its willingness to confront difficult realities, acknowledge mistakes and continuously seek improvement.
He warned, however, that sustaining those gains requires a change in mindset, where every individual takes responsibility for protecting the values that have driven Rwanda’s development.
According to him, knowing the difference between right and wrong is not enough if people choose to ignore misconduct when it happens around them.
“We know what is right and wrong. You should develop some impatience, some intolerance, about these bad things,” he said.
The President questioned why many people hesitate to challenge unethical behaviour, even when it involves close friends, colleagues or people they work with every day.
Rather than walking away, he said, citizens should be willing to speak out before small acts of misconduct develop into larger problems that affect the wider society.
“Why do you see someone doing wrong and you just let it keep happening? Why don’t you tell your friend, your colleague, or whoever, and say, ‘No, you can’t do that. Why would you just walk away and turn your back on that?” Kagame asked.
He cautioned that tolerating wrongdoing ultimately carries consequences for everyone, arguing that individual actions inevitably shape the country’s collective future.
“If the country is not moving forward, if the wrong things being done keep happening, and you tolerate that, there’s no doubt it will come back to hit you as well. Above all, it’s going to affect millions of our people.”
Kagame noted that while reflecting on Rwanda’s successes and failures remains important, the country’s attention should now be focused on building the future.
He encouraged Rwandans to move beyond identifying challenges and instead become active participants in strengthening institutions, promoting integrity and reinforcing a shared sense of responsibility.
Resilience alongside responsibility
The President said accountability alone cannot guarantee sustainable development unless it is accompanied by resilience.
Drawing lessons from Rwanda’s own experience, Kagame observed that every nation encounters hardships, but said there is a clear distinction between challenges imposed by circumstances and those created through poor judgment.
While unavoidable difficulties should be faced with determination, he argued, preventable mistakes only make progress harder and should therefore be avoided.
“We should be able to build within ourselves the capacity to sustain any pain,” Kagame said, urging Rwandans to “avoid self-inflicted pain” by making responsible decisions and minimizing errors that are within their control.
He described resilience as the ability to stay focused despite setbacks, saying Rwanda’s development has largely been built on persistence rather than the absence of challenges.
Success demands persistence
Kagame concluded his address by encouraging citizens to remain committed to their goals even when progress is slow or obstacles emerge.
He said no country advances without experiencing failures, but lasting success belongs to those who learn from setbacks instead of allowing them to become permanent barriers.
“Things will not always be as we want them to be. There is one sure way of making a difference: keep trying. Keep trying, even when you fail, try again… Be stubborn about trying,” he said.
He emphasized that Rwanda’s continued progress will ultimately depend on a society that refuses to normalize wrongdoing, values accountability as a shared civic duty and remains determined to move forward regardless of the challenges ahead.
