Good evening to you all.

My job this evening is a very light one, very simple. That’s why I don’t want to, after maybe having a very good dinner, to add a very long speech, I would not be doing justice.

But I received the invitation for the dinner, for this event, what follows after the dinner. I couldn’t make it for the dinner, though I needed to have it, but I couldn’t miss coming here to meet with you, to express my gratitude to all of you. Starting with the organizers of the event of Kwita Izina and most especially, you our friends, our partners from across the world, who made it to the event, to come and join the whole country, indeed to celebrate what was witnessed yesterday; that goes on every year and this is the 20th celebration.

So I wanted to thank you, I just came here to thank you, and to say there is more to come.  I’m sure those who have spoken to you have told you many stories about this event, and by the way let me remind the CEO of RDB, Jean-Guy, I’ve heard him several times talk about the sharing of revenue, the 10% that goes to communities.

It is not 10% shared across the country, it’s 10% shared with the communities around the parks. If one understood it to be 10% that the whole country shares, relating to tourism or conservation or things like that, it makes it a little smaller. But it is 10% that is shared with the communities that live around these parks, which in a way gives them an incentive to also be part of the protection, the participation, in all that matters for the parks and conservation and other activities.

So I thank you for being with us, for giving this day the importance that the day deserved, and from there, those who have come to Rwanda for the first time, I’m sure there will be a second, third and many more times you will be joining us. And I just wanted to assure you have a home here, you have partners here, you have friends here, so you will always be most welcome. And I hope those who have time will spend a few more days in our country and continue to enjoy the hospitality the Rwandans are able to offer, and see you again next time.

Be blessed.