He is named with an ecletic list that includes Mo Ibrahim, Beyonce, and the founders of Twitter. To access the Financial Times article you need to register with the paper. Or, you can find a related article on this story here.
President Kagame has his share of critics, primarily from the human rights community. As the Financial Times notes, he rules in the style of an East Asian leader, such as Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew (less regard for civil and political liberties, more for economic freedom and growth). Supporters point to his ability to largely keep the peace in his country and to rebuild an economy shattered by the 1994 genocide. He has also created an elaborate plan to move the country from low to middle-income status by 2020. The country's efforts to lessen poverty and create opportunity for many has, the editors argue, been an inspiration for other nations.
Critical of many foreign aid efforts, President Kagame routinely advocates "trade not aid." As the story from The East African notes: "His vision is not only to produce a stable Rwanda but a competitive, productive African continent, a phrase he continually reiterates."
That vision is important: a competitive, productive Africa will mean economic growth and prosperity for more of the world's bottom billion, millions of whom live in Africa.
- Karol
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