We are reforming African Union to make its cooperation with USA more beneficial – Kagame tells Trump

By Emmanuel Ntirenganya

President Kagame has said that that there are reforms being made at the African Union (AU) for the organisation to benefit from effectively its cooperation with the United States of America (USA).

Kagame was speaking during an encounter with trump at the sidelines of the 48^th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, in Davos, Swiss, on Friday, January 26, 2018.

Rwanda, under the leadership of President Kagame, has, this year 2018, taken over the one-year leadership of the AU.

Speaking during a one-to-one meeting with President Kagame President Trump called Kagame his ‘friend’ and said “it’s a great honor to be with President Kagame, we have had tremendous discussions. I want to congratulate you Mr. President as being the new head of the African Union; that’s a great honor … I know you’re going for your first meeting very shortly. And please, give my warmest regards,” he said.

President Kagame said that he has had good discussions with Trump on bilateral relations between Rwanda and the United States, lauding the support of the USA to Rwanda’s socio-economic progress, and the cooperation between the two countries.

“And we are looking forward to also working with the United States at the level of the African Union where we are carrying out reforms at the African Union so that we get, or act together to do the right things, and that helps in cooperating with the united States,” Kagame observed.

President Kagame said that reforming the African Union so that it gets organised would make the cooperation between AU and the USA more beneficial as the continent will know what it wants to get from the United States through that cooperation.

Trump says it’s the best time to invest and grow in America

Speaking at World Economic Forum annual meeting shortly after meeting President Kagame, President Trump said “America hopes for a future in which everyone can prosper, and every child can grow up free from violence, poverty and fear.”

Late last year, 2017, Trump signed a bill consisting of slashing the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent and cuts individual tax rates, which will  see the USA’s revenue collections reduced by about $1.5 trillion over the next 10 year-period.

He said that the tax cut and reform – intended to ease business – and investment in the United States was a dream of a lot of people for many years, but, they could not get it for years.

Trump was elected US President in November 2016, replacing former President Barack Obama on the top leadership of one of the world’s most influential countries.

“Since my election, we created 2.4 million jobs, and that number is going up very, very substantially,” Trump observed.

Trump said that African-American unemployment has reached the lowest rate ever recorded in United States, and so has unemployment among Hispanic Americans.

“I’m here to deliver a simple message: there has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest, and to grow in the United States. America is open to businesses, and we are competitive once again. The American Economy is by far the largest in the world, and we just enacted the most significant tax cut and reform in American history.

He said that he was at WEF meeting to represent the interest of the American people, and the United States’ friendship and partnership in building a better world.

He reiterated the US’s firm commitment to ensure security, and fight any terrorism attempts and acts that can endanger security and people’s lives.