L-R Protais Musoni, Uwubutatu Marie Theresa and Epimaque Twagirimana
Protais Musoni has been re-elected chair of the Pan African Movement (PAM – Rwanda) Chapter for the next three years. He has been leading the movement since its re-establishment in Rwanda in 2015.
Musoni was elected during the third National Congress of PAM Rwanda which took place Saturday 26 at Rwanda Parliament.
The elections of the bureau of PAM Rwanda saw Musoni re-elected chair after getting the majority vote from the 172 votes of PAM-Rwanda members who attended the congress.
He defeated Dr. Geoffrey Mushaija who also contested to chair PAM- Rwanda for the three years with 40 votes.
The elections also saw Epimaque Twagirimana elected as the vice chairperson with 120 votes, defeating Wilson Wamala who had contested on the same position with 64 votes.
The PAM-Rwanda chapter also elected Uwubutatu Marie Theresa as the Secretary General with 122 votes, edging Uwamariya Marie Claire who got 50 votes.
The elected leaders will seek to advance the agenda of Pan-African Movement in Rwanda, which is to promote the virtues of unity, dignity, solidarity and development of Rwandans and Africans, generally.
They will particularly work to promote several programs and initiatives that the organization has set out to do in Rwanda for the next three years.
“PAM-Rwanda is a mass movement that aspires Rwandans especially to be conscious and determined Africans ready to forge solidarity, with other Africans and people with African descent to achieve dignity, unity, peace and prosperity for Africa,” Musoni said.
“To achieve this, it demands a liberated mind from the inferiority complexes, from divide and rule legacies. It is a struggle for independence in thinking so as to be able to craft and fight for the innovative solutions to African problems,” he added.
The committee will also work to promote integration of African countries, promote African cultural values and knowledge and strengthen principles and practices of governance that are responsive to African problems and that are people-centered, inclusive, accountable and transparent.
It will also build the capacity of the Pan African movement- Rwanda chapter to deliver its mandate, to collaborate with other national chapters to strengthen Regional, Continental and Global PAM leadership structures.
“One of the biggest challenges in promoting good governance in Africa is the presence of weak institutions which fail to provide basic social services as well as ensure that every citizen enjoys basic rights as enshrined within national constitutions and international laws,” Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD) said.
“When you look at most of the conflicts which are prevalent across the continent, governance issues have also been among the triggering factors. According to the Institute for Security Studies, bad governance doesn’t just undermine development; it also drives violence,” Dr. Mayaki added.
The 3rd National Congress of the Pan African Movement themed: “Reinvigorating African Unity and Solidarity for Sustainable Development” was held in Kigali to discuss on the panel focusing on the nexus between good governance and peace and security in Africa.
According to Mayaki, the illicit trade and financial flows have always been among the source of conflicts and terrorism financing in different parts of the world, with the continent losing S$88.6 Billion every year.
“If these illegal funds find their way back to sponsor insurgents and terrorist groups across the continent, the efforts to silence the guns will never be fruitful,” Mayaki said.
