President Kagame made these remarks while addressing three thousand of women gathered at Petit Stade yesterday at a Meet the President session in Kigali.
The session was organized under the theme’’ Women contribution to sustainable development’’.
“Fighting against inequality and poverty and working for development will only succeed if it involves men and women equally. It is the responsibility of each one of us’’, said President Paul Kagame.
President Kagame reminded men to support women in their quest for equal rights saying that whatever is good for women is great for men as well. He added that if a woman is poor, her husband suffer the effects and if women are doing well, the entire family including men benefit from it.
He further urged all women present to begin by believing in their right to equality: “Gender equality is in every sector, it is not a favor, it is your right. It is the way it should be. The right to equality is not something that can be given or taken. It begins with each of you believing in your equal ability to achieve something.”
Previously, while President of the National Women’s Council, Francesca Tengera welcomed the President, she said that women are committed to contributing to sustainable development of the country and thanked the President and the First Lady Jeannette Kagame for taking a firm stand for gender equality.
‘’Women today join any profession. We have women in construction, business, women pilots and we lead the world with highest number of women in Parliament, she emphasized’’.
Dancilla Mukangerageze who was present at the meeting also emphasized that her hard work has made her a poultry keeper and with the earning from this business, she bought a motorbike for her husband and paid tuition fees to their children who were at University.
President Kagame encouraged both men and women to work together in protecting each other’s rights, an approach he described as the basis for the country’s sustainable development.
‘’Collaboration is a must if we are to achieve sustainable development and if we want to attain self reliance, we must to put into action what we say, he concluded’’.