RPF 30th Anniversary Inkotanyi A 3day national conference was held as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations under the theme; “liberation and transformation: realizing a dignified and prosperous Africa.” The Keynote speech by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa at the RPF-Inkotanyi 30th Anniversary International Conference on Africa’s Liberation and Transformation touched on Rwanda being a developing country and a model of how to put an end to genocidal hatred and ethnic division and acknowledged as a model of constructing national Unity from ethnic diversity, that Rwanda is further applauded for practically eliminating poverty, modernizing the life of all, in equality and dignity and how the country is being recognized as a growing hub of regional trade and ICT development. He further mentioned the exemplary achievements owing to the leadership of President Paul Kagame and congratulated him for Nationalism, his Pan-Africanism and his Leadership. The forum which was held at the RPF Inkotanyi headquarters brought together about a 1000 delegates who include global leaders and scholars among others. The conference focused on three main thematic areas: Liberation, Transformation and Self-Reliance. Two sessions were planned with formats ranging from high-level plenary to storytelling, with speakers representing the scope of RPF-Inkotanyi 30 year journey.” The conference was also an opportunity for other political parties, partners and friends of the RPF-Inkotanyi to share their experiences and learn from each other’s journeys. It also helped increase the awareness of RPF-Inkotanyi’s ideology and its adaptation over time and deepen solidarity around the common fate that Africans share and RPF-Inkotanyi’s commitment to contributing to Africa’s transformation. Members of the RPF Inkotanyi National Congress overwhelmingly re-elected President Paul Kagame to lead the party for the next five years. The congress also re-elected Christophe Bazivamo as vice chairperson and Francois Ngarambe as Secretary General. Twenty two commissioners were also elected, completing the 25 available positions of the National Executive Committee. The RPF leadership recently changed their constitution to give more voice to the youth, where from a college of 22 commissioners who sit on the National Executive Committee (NEC), 10 slots were earmarked for the youth, up from five. Delegates at the RPF-Inkotanyi National Congress voted for a new National Executive Committee. Addressing the participants, President Kagame challenged the party members to make humility a value in everything they do. Humility, he said, has been part and parcel of the RPF since its inception. “This Congress was a time to reflect on how far we have come over the past 30 years, a journey that was guided by our values. The last three days we have had fruitful exchanges regarding our country and the direction it is taking,” he said. On the thirty-year journey, the President said what has been achieved is impressive but added that there was still a long way to go. He urged the RPF cadres to learn from their experiences, to draw lessons from mistakes and to keep doing the things that have proven to work well. The Party Chairman encouraged the members not to shy away from calculated risks and always work with passion. “We must always have the desire to learn from experiences good or bad,” he said, adding that risk taking has been critical to the success of the RPF. “We never feared risks then and we will not fear them now. It does not, however, mean taking risks blindly,” he said. The RPF Chairman concluded by calling on all members to renew their commitment to achieving even more in the next decades ahead: “We leave here revitalised and dedicated to give the best of ourselves,” Kagame said. On the last day of the congress, special guests from different countries spoke of their relations with the RPF-Inkotanyi. Ruling Parties from various countries were represented by delegates including China’s Communist Party, Ethiopia’s People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, Kenya’s Jubilee, Party Congolais du Travail of Congo Brazzaville and Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement of South Sudan. The three day congress ended with celebrations, bringing an end to month-long series of activities that were organized to mark the 30th anniversary of the RPF-Inkotanyi. Story by Audrey Essamuah. GBCONLINE ---DECRYPTED---