Masai Ujiri:

Your Excellency, welcome. Thank you for being here and you always give sports a huge, huge chance and you always listen to us. The only one that listens to us. We broke ground there, two years ago, and there was a vision. How did you think or see this coming? Because you have always talked about a Sports City.

President Kagame:

In my life, when I was a kid and growing up, especially as old as I am today, with all the hustles and struggles of life, I learnt one thing, I wasn’t a sportsman by any standards, up to now I don’t have very good ideas to do business and so many other things. There are many things I’m not capable of doing. But I learnt that I’m capable of doing something, and that was to enable, to support others in what they can do and especially in my position now. I found that while I can’t do business, I can support those who are capable of doing business, to do it, by creating an environment for them to do that, so that they can succeed, and in the end, I and many others benefit from that. Same thing as sports, I wasn’t a sportsman, at least not playing sports, I was a sportsman at heart.

I thought more about that, and even thought about what I missed if I were, if I had been able to do that, if I had been able to do sports, I was always thinking, now that I haven’t been able, how much I missed in that. So, bringing together those two things, again in my position, given my background, my history, and my struggles, I set out to always say, I can’t do nothing. I always have to do something. And if I can do something, by enabling those who can do much more, that benefits them and the whole country, and as you said, all this builds communities, builds families, builds individuals. So, if I can be part of that story where I can provide something that brings those together, I’m the happiest person. And that’s how one idea came after another. Of course, you learn, you see, you hear, you discuss with many people. Like so many discussions I have had with you, Masai, and many other friends in this field of sports, then that’s how the idea came up and said, maybe we could do something in Rwanda. Which one is it? Where do you start from? And of course, many other people make some inputs as to what can be done, and that’s how the idea of building this sports city came up. So, and we are not stopping here, we keep growing, we keep going. And again, if that can inspire others beyond our borders, and if we can be part of that story by, and through cooperation, we are again very happy to be part of that.

Masai Ujiri:

How do you see all of this really inspiring, and maybe even shaping, I think some people don’t see sports, entertainment and culture even shaping an economy, shaping a country. How do you think, you are known now for the person who has really brought sports to the forefront in Africa, separate from AFCON, but in terms of business, how do you see it shaping economies and countries in the future?

President Kagame:

It does a lot. It has already done it. It’s not just the future. And I think many people here and beyond see it for what it is. You’ve already seen the benefits when you talked about the numbers in terms of employment, in this area of sports. When you talk about what, for example, the arena, the stadium, it’s already happening. People are taking notice of that, and counting, and knowing that it has employed so many, it has brought in so much. And that interaction around of people here in Rwanda, with the rest of the world, speaks volumes in terms of value. So it has already brought in a lot. And it’s a question of growing that. And we also know that statistics show that even across Africa, in terms of sports, it’s running into billions as to what sports can bring to the continent. Tens of billions.

So they shouldn’t just be hearing this as a story. I think what we do as leaders at different levels is to encourage people to be part of realizing that story and reaping the benefits. And it’s happening. So it’s no longer something you listen to, and think it is for others and not for you. Now people believe, they start by believing, and when they start by believing and see things happening, then they believe even more and get more involved. And, I mean, the sky is the limit.

Masai Ujiri:

This one is a tough question: How do you use your influence and your leadership and what you’ve done to get to other leaders, to believe in this, or to see it? Because a lot of them don’t see sports and entertainment in this way. How do we get 53 other leaders to think this way?

President Kagame:

Well, I have been there before with the tough questions. So I’ll try my part, I will always try. I think the best way, you know, if you told people stories and the benefits of what you are telling them, but you have nothing to show to prove your story, the story you are telling them, right, you have no example that they can see, I don’t think people will believe you or will even care. But I also want to assume that It’s not me having to tell anybody the benefits of this or that. So, because some of them already know really the benefits of this, and they know they can do it, they know they can even do it better than Rwanda. So the simple part for me to play is to speak out, and speak out loudly, and show what is possible and the benefits. And also demonstrate what I’m talking about that has already happened here in my country, and how beneficial it is, as an example.

So, from the understanding and from them seeing the examples. I think maybe out of ten, you will convince two, three, and they feel the sense of urgency to do that kind of thing themselves. Then you keep trying. Maybe another time you win another two, you win another three over to what the discussion is about, it’s not going to tell people stories, you see, or even, you can’t, I mean, you can’t give them instructions, you must do this, you must do that. They have their own right to the business they want to do for themselves, for their countries. But you can always share the experience and the benefits. And also that calls upon more cooperation among ourselves, being honest with each other, and sharing as much as we can. But for me, I always tell them the little things people talk about Rwanda and they highlight some kind of success story. Yes, they can actually do better, much better than Rwanda. Because they have almost everything to do that. And it is to the benefit of their own people.

There is no country across Africa, no nation that doesn’t have young people; to the north of 70% or 60% of their populations are very young. And if you can’t find something to excite, inspire, and move this big part of the continent’s population, I don’t think we would be doing justice to ourselves. So it’s really speaking out, it’s sharing, it’s showing examples, it’s even making appeals. You can appeal to people and they will listen to you if you package it well with this sense of examples and showing the benefits to the constituencies of our populations that deserve to see that happen.

Masai Ujiri:

I will go to youth now. You Excellency, the youth, there is a movement, you saw the kids in the Arena yesterday. First thing you said to me today when we saw each other this afternoon, you asked about the kids, you asked what they were doing. You’ve given so many youth opportunity. We brought 350 kids from all over Africa to the Giants of Africa Festival. But it’s not just that, it’s not even just sports, it’s in everything. Where do you see the youth movement on the continent? Where do you see the hope of the youth for us in Africa?

President Kagame:

Well, let me say, in my mind, thinking about the youth of Africa, I don’t think about borders, and in fact the story told of the young person we gave the opportunity to manage this demonstrates that.

In the past, some of the things we have done is really to change the mindset, primarily, of how to go about things. Ordinarily, the time you are looking for people to manage this place, somebody could have come to you and say, you know what? Let’s go and look for a Rwandan who can do it, why do you bring anybody from somewhere else ? That happens, very frequently in many other places. But we did not hesitate and because of the story I’m just telling you, we could not hesitate that the person who is capable of showing that he can do it comes from another country, so we fully accept that and that’s how really we have changed the things here.

So, for the youth, we need to make sure that everything we do, simply translates their potential, their hidden talent into reality. And we have to keep investing in them, directly, but also in facilities that can help them utilise or bring out this talent to benefit them but also to benefit their communities. And the youth, we always have to tell our young people to start by believing in themselves, and therefore, believing in their place, in their continent. Without that belief, it becomes more difficult to translate this potential into reality that we are talking about. So for the young people, they are the first asset that the continent has, the rest comes following that, but they must also believe in that and see that, and therefore, work hard and work as much as the opportunity provided across the continent provides them. So, what else can I say?

Masai Ujiri:

I want to thank you, Your Excellency, for your vision, your friendship, your openness. You bring all us here together, now we come here how many times?

President Kagame:

Before I finish, Masai, before we end this conversation, with everybody’s attention. All things we have said and the stories we have heard from different people, I want to acknowledge the presence of Aliko Dangote, here. For additional reason other than what was, there are many reasons, but I want to add one important one. He’s behind an idea and also built on some of the frustrations we expressed here on stage, about where the continent is and where it should be, and so on. He has brought up an idea of Africa Renaissance, which was mentioned. This has been to galvanize the understanding, the support, the buy-in of our continent, whether leaders, political leaders of different places, business leaders, and others, to really focus on what is it that can take Africa from where it is and put it where it should be, and not have that story remain just as a story but something that translates into tangible results.

So he has been behind that and I just want to express that some of us are very happy to work with him and other leaders. They have already had a meeting here in Kigali and many other meetings will be held but to really look at, and working also with the African Union in the settings it provides. So, thank you very much Alhaji Aliko Dangote for that.