Good afternoon to everyone here and those following us from elsewhere.

Let me begin by thanking those who have just taken the oath of office for the responsibilities they have accepted: Nelly Mukazayire, Rwego Ngarambe, and Godfrey Kabera.

I want to repeat what I often say: taking an oath is not just a formality. An oath carries weight and is closely tied to the duties being assumed. Therefore, once in office, you must always be mindful of the gravity of these responsibilities and carry them out with full awareness and commitment.

Although not everyone does so, some take the oath and fail to uphold it. Still, this does not diminish the seriousness of the oath and the importance of the responsibilities it entails. Entering public service is a privilege, especially considering the many capable Rwandans who could have taken on these roles. That you were chosen should increase your sense of duty. And once in office, it is unacceptable to start looking for excuses not to fulfil your obligations.

Across all sectors of our government – including the President, the Chief Justice, the Prime Minister, the Speakers of Parliament, and others – once in office, no one should look for excuses when things do not go well or as expected.

Some people say: “I was given the job, but the country did not provide me with the resources.” But what does that mean? Every responsibility comes with the task of mobilising the necessary resources. The country’s resources are limited and must be distributed across all sectors. So, every institution works with insufficient means. No institution receives all it needs. Therefore, part of your responsibility is to increase the resources available and ensure they are used effectively. Anything else is just empty words.

Those of you joining government should understand this well. You accepted these roles knowingly. And if no one told you that resource mobilisation is part of your job, then they didn’t give you the full picture.

Those in sports, for instance, we support sport because it brings many benefits to people, including revenue. Today, sport is a business based on talent, be it Rwandan or otherwise. That talent can be marketed, and it can generate income. That is our objective. That is why we have invested in infrastructure: to allow more Rwandans to participate. Many facilities have been built across the country for this reason. So, sports is about more than entertainment. It is also a source of income.

As for the Ministry of Finance, it’s not just about accounting. It’s also about knowing where the money comes from and how to generate more of it. We must constantly seek new sources of revenue, while ensuring we spend wisely. Above all, our revenues must increase. That is the mission.

The rest is not that difficult. What makes public service hard is often the people themselves. If you want things to be easy, they will be. If you make them harder than they are, they will become harder for you as well. So there is no new message today, except the constant reminder that we must always focus on what is necessary to ensure effective service delivery.

I wish you success in your duties. Much of what you will achieve depends on collaboration with colleagues across different institutions. Your work should serve the whole country, not just one location or another.

Thank you, and I wish you success in your new responsibilities. In fact, your work starts now, this very moment.

Have a good day.