At the African Union Summit at the end of this month, President Paul Kagame will assume the rotational one-year chairmanship of the continental body.

This will be the first time Rwanda assumes this ceremonial role since the founding of the African Union in 2002.

But the task ahead for President Kagame is challenging, as addressing all the continent’s pressing issues within a year is next to impossible.

However, his vision for the continent will continue shaping its future. This vision can be summarised into three issues.

First, is an Africa that is self-reliant politically, socially and economically. His view is that for the continent to be fully independent, countries must work together and actively advance regional, continental and global development ideals.

This approach is, thankfully, shared by the new crop of African leaders and citizens. But there is an urgency to get things done fast. That’s a challenge.

President Kagame’s vision is anchored on Rwanda’s philosophy of self-reliance and human dignity. He has emphasised that African countries must wean themselves of foreign aid and dependence on outsiders.

Second is the commitment to regional integration. Africa’s prosperity will be achieved faster through systematically opening up borders for the free movement of people, goods, services and capital and increase intra-African trade and co-operation.

In Rwanda, the government has opened up its borders, providing a 30-day visa to everyone upon arrival.

This initiative will undoubtedly increase the number of tourists to Rwanda, and it is also aligned with the broader vision of deepening and accelerating integration toward Agenda 2063 — The Africa We Want.

The visa policy demonstrates that it is possible to open up borders without compromising national security. This is also true for other African countries such as Benin, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius and Togo, which have taken a similar leap.

The AU Agenda 2063 requires that all African countries open up their borders.

The question is: How long are we going to talk about it, without acting?

Lastly, Kagame stresses the importance of investing in Africans, especially the youth, who are a principal resource for long-term development.

His tenure at the AU will seek to advance and consolidate these ideals — of course working with all African leaders, the private sector, civil society, the youth and development partners.

He will find Rwanda’s own development model quite useful.

Reforming the African Union key. Beyond realigning its institutions and instituting proper management of the continent’s affairs, the proposed reforms reaffirm the spirit of self-reliance. It has been recommended that all member states apply a 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imports to finance the activities of the AU.

If this is fully adopted, the continent will have a self-financing mechanism that will go down in history as one of its most innovative strategies. Reports show that at least 21 member states are at different levels of implementing the levy, with 14 already collecting it.

Rwanda’s model shows the importance of self-reliance. Currently, 65.7 per cent of its national budget comes from domestic tax and non-tax revenues.

Rwanda’s AU chairmanship is therefore timely, as it provides the momentum for the implementation of Agenda 2063.

Seeing that there has been modest progress in the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 itself, the journey ahead requires decisive and robust leadership. The 2017 Africa Report on SDGs and Agenda 2063 shows that 41 per cent of Africans lived in poverty in 2013.

Food security has been worsening, with 26.1 per cent of Africans facing severe food insecurity in 2015, compared with 25.3 per cent in 2014.

There is also the challenge of increased undernourishment, with reports indicating that at least 217 million Africans were undernourished between 2014 and 2016, reflecting a 6 per cent increase from the period 2010 to 2012.

In Rwanda, the Kagame government has demonstrated strong political leadership and instituted a co-ordinated approach in the implementation of the SDGs. Its National Strategy for Transformation could offer invaluable lessons for the continent.

The country’s reconstruction story, too, offers invaluable lessons in dealing with post-conflict situations. It is one of reconciliation, peace and mutual co-existence.

The dividends from the collective reconciliation and nation-rebuilding are manifest in social, economic and political transformation.

Rwanda’s model may or may not work for the continent, but it does offer a solid starting point.

Dr Richard Karugarama Lebero is a senior lecturer at the School of Law, University of Rwanda. Email: [email protected]