Kigali, February 5, 2019: The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente, today officially opened, on behalf of His Excellency Paul Kagame, the President of the republic of Rwanda, the 24^th Interpol African Regional Conference and the Table Top Exercise “CYBER TRACKS II”.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister thanked the INTERPOL leadership for having chosen Rwanda as the host of this important conference. He also commended INTERPOL for its outstanding cooperation with Rwanda and its commitment to make Africa and the world a safer place.  

He further stressed the importance of this year’s conference as the right forum to discuss the continental security concerns, share experiences and discuss joint strategies to address common and emerging crime issues. Some of the security threats that he mentioned include illicit trafficking of drugs and pharmaceuticals; financial crimes and corruption; trafficking in human beings and cybercrimes. “These threats undermine the development of Africa but also constitute a violation of human rights.” Prime Minister said.

The Premier insisted that no single country can alone win this struggle against these crimes. For this reason, he stressed the need for stronger regional and international cooperation and comprehensive anti-crimes strategies among all countries.

The Prime Minister concluded his remarks by reiterating Rwanda’s commitment to be a reliable partner of INTERPOL and to always support regional and international peace and security initiatives.

Click here to read the full speech of the Prime Minister.