Published on 13/01/2025
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has urged African leaders to engage in self-reflection, emphasizing that the issues facing continental organizations like the African Union (AU) stem not from their structures but from the leadership operating within them.
Speaking during a press conference on January 9, Kagame was responding to Ugandan journalist Charles Onyango-Obbo’s question about the AU’s diplomatic and security shortcomings in the Horn of Africa, the East African Community’s struggles in Eastern DRC and the mixed outcomes of the Luanda Process.

Onyango-Obbo asked whether Kagame supported calls to disband the AU’s Peace and Security Council in favor of a more effective mechanism or if reforms could address the challenges.
Kagame asserted that the problem lies not in the structures but in the individuals managing them. Drawing from his experience as head of the AU’s reform commission from 2016 to 2024, he highlighted recurring challenges in implementing decisions made by leaders.
“We sit in meetings—leaders, prime ministers—and agree on something. We decide to put measures in place, but nothing works in the end. Is it the process? Is it the structure? The answer is obvious: the problem is us,” Kagame said.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Kagame eventually decided to step down from his role in the reform process. “I told the leaders, ‘I have been happy to serve you, but perhaps it’s time for someone else to take over—before you grow tired of me or I become too frustrated,’” he recounted.
He proposed that the process be led by someone else, suggesting a change in approach. Subsequently, the president of Kenya assumed leadership of the reforms.
Kagame’s remarks underscore his belief that effective leadership, rather than structural overhauls, is key to resolving the challenges faced by African organizations.