Rwandan President Paul Kagame has delivered a characteristically direct message to international donors: Rwanda appreciates development assistance, but accepting financial support does not mean surrendering its sovereignty or allowing outsiders to dictate how the country should be governed.
Kagame acknowledged that Rwanda needs donor funding and made no attempt to pretend otherwise.
“Do we need the money? Yes, absolutely,” he said.
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But, according to the Rwandan leader, there is a difference between being a development partner and becoming an unwanted supervisor.
Kagame told donors that if they decide they no longer want to provide financial assistance to Rwanda, they are perfectly entitled to take their money elsewhere.
“If you cannot cooperate with us, leave us alone, please,” he said, making Rwanda’s position remarkably clear.
He noted that donors have every right to decide what they do with their resources.
Those who say they will no longer give Rwanda money, he suggested, should simply take their money and give it to whoever they believe deserves it.
But Kagame also challenged donors to look beyond the numbers and examine what Rwanda has achieved with the resources it has received.
He argued that when development money comes into Rwanda, the government puts it to practical use, and that donors are perfectly entitled to follow the money.
“I will show you the roads, I will show you the hospitals, I will show you the schools. I will show you everything where we put your money,” Kagame said.
In other words, the receipts are available and, according to Kagame, they are not hidden in a drawer.
His argument, however, goes beyond financial accountability. Kagame took issue with what he sees as a tendency by some international partners to attach political conditions or excessive influence to development assistance.
His message was essentially: Ask us where the money went, by all means. Demand accountability. Inspect the projects. Check the books. But do not confuse funding Rwanda with owning Rwanda.
Kagame’s remarks reflect Rwanda’s broader push for self-reliance and a relationship with international partners based on mutual respect rather than dependency.
And then came the line that perhaps best captured the entire argument.
Kagame warned that while donors may provide money for a good cause, Rwanda will not necessarily accept every condition that comes attached to it.
“When you follow your money and you put a finger into my eyes, I will tell you something you don’t want to hear,” he said.
It was a diplomatic message delivered without the usual diplomatic wrapping.
The takeaway? Rwanda is open for partnership, not parenting.
Donors can bring the cheque, ask for accountability and inspect the results. But, in Kagame’s telling, the cheque does not come with a remote control.
Your money remains your money. But Rwanda, he insists, remains Rwanda.
