I am pleased to join you for the second edition of the Inclusive Fintech Forum.

I welcome you all to Kigali. We are very happy to have you with us.

To begin, I commend the Kigali International Financial Center, for continuing to position Rwanda as an attractive destination for investment.

This gathering is also a testament to the unique partnership between Rwanda and Singapore, to harness the power of the digital economy.

We look forward to continuing working together.

The story we just heard of the young innovator from Zambia, should inspire every entrepreneur to think big, act boldly, and stay focused.

Indeed, with our continent’s young and tech-savvy population, Africa can compete with the rest of the world, and successfully innovate.

When you look at our continent’s start-up ecosystem, fintechs continue to dominate.

In recent years, the number of fintech companies in Africa has almost tripled.

These enterprises, big and small, are fundamentally reshaping our financial services sector.

We see this, especially with mobile money, and remittance services.

According to a recent study, fintech revenues in Africa are expected to reach 40 billion dollars by 2028.

At the same time, Africa is experiencing a brain drain, with many of our skilled developers, leaving our continent to go work abroad.

This is really not entirely their problem. They cannot be blamed for that. I think we, some of us the leaders, should be able to take the blame, partly.

Financial inclusion also remains a challenge, and for those who need it the most, particularly women in the informal economy.

All of this, is happening in the context of global financing constraints.

We need to see this, as an invitation to put our resources to better use, and support each other.

Taking ownership of our development, is not something we can ask others to do for us.

Business founders also need to do their part, and gain the confidence of investors.

And above all, ask yourself why you, and not anybody else, is best placed to solve the problem you have identified.

In Rwanda, we have made strategic investments in digital infrastructure and skills.

Moving forward, creating an enabling environment for businesses to scale, should be our number one priority.

We need a harmonized regulatory landscape, and we must come together to combat cybercrime and fraud.

We can also unlock many more opportunities, through public-private partnerships, and by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence.

The bottom line, is that we need to work as one team, to build a more connected future.

I am confident, that we are moving in the right direction.

I wish you a very productive meeting, and thank you all for taking your time to be with us.

Thank you for kind attention.