Dubai: Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, said the divisions that hampered African growth were ending and the continent was moving towards a unified economic bloc.

Kagame was speaking at the Global Business Forum Africa 2017 on Wednesday before an audience that included His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and the heads of state of 10 African nations.

Kagame is a strong proponent of a more economically united Africa, and recently proposed reforms he believes will make the African Union more efficient and effective.

“History divided the continent, and the divisions and inefficiencies that arose actually prevented Africa from being as prosperous at it should have been,” Kagame said.

“Looked at this way, we want to see cooperation across the continent, countries working together, people coming together to trade, to invest, to meet their expectations and aspirations as the case may evolve.”

Africa currently has several economic blocs, including the East African Community, the South African Development Community, and the Economic Community of Central African States. Kagame said he hoped the blocs would “do what needs to be done for them to come together and maybe, eventually, the communities themselves get together for continental integration, where you may find the whole continent is now one bloc instead of so many blocs.”

He added, “It’s very realistic, I think, and we are beginning to see good progress in different parts of our economy. If you look at the regional economy of energy, you find a number of steps have been taken and progress has been made. There is more to be done, but I think the momentum is there, and it’s up to governments to keep working together.”

Rwanda growth rate

Kagame is credited with rebuilding Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, pushing it to a growth rate of 8 per cent. The World Bank now rates it as the fourth easiest country in sub-Saharan Africa in which to start a business.

He was elected to his third seven-year term of office in a landslide election in August, following a constitutional referendum in 2015 that allowed him to stand for more than two terms.

He sidestepped host John Defterios’ questions about whether he would still be president in 10 years time, saying he could not predict the future.

He also avoided commenting on last week’s Kenyan presidential elections, held after the country’s Supreme Court nullified the results of elections held in August, saying he was not an expert.

The two-day forum is taking place at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

Factbox: Expo 2020 Dubai to boost UAE-Africa relations

Reem Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, told delegates to the Global Business Forum Africa 2017 that Expo 2020 would carry relations between the UAE and Africa to new heights.

Al Hashemi pointed to a long legacy of cooperation between the UAE and sub-Saharan Africa, noting that African countries were among the first visited by the late Shaikh Zayed and the late Shaikh Rashid after the founding of the UAE.

“Geography, of course, gives this relationship impetus and purpose,” she said. “We are uniquely perched at the centre point between two great continents of Africa and Asia, where the fastest-growing economies of the world today can be found.

“Today, Dubai does not only serve as a hub of commerce and trade between the Arab world and the African continent, but it extends beyond its own geographic hinterland to lands of the East and increasingly the lands of the South as well.”

Within this context, she said, “I have no doubt that the World Expo will offer an opportunity to take our relationship to new heights. Our Expo visitors are expected to be primarily international, coming from all over the world, including Africa. Almost all African nations have already confirmed their participation and we are working closely with them to curate and programme exhibitions and activations that are meaningful and continue to contribute value at all levels.”