Attitude of adult supervision has to be left in the past- Kagame tells Europe

By Maniraguha Ferdinand

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has said that good relations between African and Europe will never be achieved while Africa is still considered as a fringe player in the partnership.

Kagame said  this on Wednesday, 2^nd December, while addressing a virtual 5th meeting of the high-level group of personalities on Europe-Africa relations.

He said that as Africa and Europe strive for a better future together, their goals  will not be achieved while Europe is still behaving as supervisor in African matters.

“We also want to take the relationship to the next level in terms of a common understanding of governance. The attitude of ‘adult supervision’ has to be left in the past”, President Kagame said. “Examples of right or wrong conduct can be found everywhere. We must avoid the temptation to reduce Africa to the lowest common denominator, with blanket judgments and generalisations”, he added.

He emphasized that there cannot be  mutual respectful partnership “premised on the unspoken assumption that one party lacks values, or has defective values, while the other party is a fully-formed moral agent.”

For many times, Africa has been portrayed internationally as a continent of problems, bad leadership, ravaged by corruption and wars.

Though reach in terms of natural resources and it vibrant young population, African countries are still ranked  as the poorest in the world.

Kagame said that for Africa and Europe to overcome 21^st century challenges, mutual respect is the key.

“It is about dialogue, respect, and a commitment to the more robust partnership which both Africa and Europe need in order to prevail over the challenges of the 21st century, together” he said

He urged Europe to see Africa as partner instead of an aid receiver.