Rwandan President Paul Kagame has attributed the country’s progress in governance and public service delivery to a deliberate commitment to self-reliance.

Speaking at a press conference, President Kagame said self-reliance should not be limited to technological advancement or the development of systems but should also guide governance and national development.

“Self-reliance is in many aspects; it’s not just in technology and different systems. Self-reliance goes into other areas, even in governance,” he posted on social media.

He noted that Rwanda had achieved significant outcomes in governance and service delivery despite its limited resources, prompting questions about how the country had made such progress.

“In Rwanda, there are so many things we have done in areas of governance and service delivery. Some people will wonder whether we don’t have more resources than we are known for. How does a poor country get to be here? That is delivered by that mindset of self-reliance,” President Kagame stated.

He urged countries to make effective use of the resources available to them, arguing that possessing abundant resources did not automatically translate into development.

“Do whatever you can within your means. There are people who have the means, and they can’t deliver. In fact, some people have a lot, in terms of means, and they don’t deliver much,” he said.

According to the Rwandan Presidency, President Kagame maintained that the approach adopted in addressing national challenges was more important than the size or resource base of a country.

“It’s a question of how you want to approach the problem; it doesn’t matter the size,” he said.

“Rwanda is not, by any standard, a big country. We are one of the smallest countries in the world, but that does not stop us from looking around for what we can do within our means, and doing it.”

His remarks highlighted Rwanda’s emphasis on domestic responsibility, efficient resource utilisation and locally driven approaches to governance and development.