CEO's Welcome Address to President Paul Kagame
11th AUB General Assembly, Kigali Convention Centre, 15th March 2018
Your Excellency, We came from the four corners of this blessed continent and abroad and we have had the golden opportunity to kindly listen to you. And we have just done so!
Ladies and Gentlemen, please I would like to invite you, to stand up and Let us give one of the biggest standing ovations to our leader, President of Rwanda and President the African Union. Your Excellency President Paul Kagamé, Your People are saying Thank You!
Your Excellency, from the bottom of our hearts we want to thank you for having given us the opportunity to meet here in this beautiful City of Kigali, for the 11th General Assembly of our Union. We thank our colleagues of Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) and their Director General, Arthur Asiimwe, for all the Good they have done for us during our stay in Kigali.
As a father and leader, you best know; you know more than everyone in this hall, that in our African Continent, in our culture, when someone says thank you, you must carefully listen to him. He has something more to ask.
Your Excellency Mr. President of the African Union, The AUB members are strongly appealing that through your good offices, you kindly convince the Confederation of African Football (CAF), owner of the broadcast rights for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), to make these rights affordable for us.
The current situation is not sustainable for the African Media. As an illustration, for the last AFCON 2017, only 13 countries broadcast the competitions, 40 including our colleagues of RBA did not broadcast the competition. For an African competition, this is regrettable.
Your Excellency, permit us to humbly request that you should be our spokesperson at the level of the Heads of state on this particular issue.
As the largest professional organization in the continent, the AUB with fifty one (51) public media Organizations, twelve associate members (12) and six (6) participating members, we would like to be granted the observer status at the African Union.
Your Excellency, In all schools of journalism, it’s accepted that those who went to heaven and met the Almighty God; had a discussion with Him in order to acquaint themselves with His way of doing things, brought back this good news;
That, the Almighty God listens more to the prayers of communicators and journalists! Let it be on record that, from here in Kigali, in this beautiful Kigali Convention Center, we prayed God to give you wisdom to continue to lead this country.
As President of the African Union, may He inspire you to share your experience for the wellbeing of the African People.
Long live the African Union of Broadcasting! Long live the African Union! Long live the Republic of Rwanda! Long live President Paul Kagamé!
