Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday warned senior and local State officials who spend the majority of their working hours in meetings he says yield nothing for national development.

Kagame was quoted by local media as saying most Rwandan public servants are mostly holed up in meetings instead of attending to their duties.

This was during his closing address at the 18th annual National Dialogue Council, locally known as Umushyikirano.

“I have learned that some of you are always in meetings, some of which do not even bare any results for the country, when people try to reach you, they are told that you are in meetings and when they attempt to try the next day, they are told the same thing,” Kagame said.

“This is actually one of the excuses being used such that you can spare time for your private affairs,” he added.

According to the New Times newspaper, Kagame noted that while meetings are important to strategise on how to serve citizens, leaders need to set aside time for “the real work.”

“This should be different from the everyday meetings. The same time can be used for more important work,” he said, adding that what is discussed in a meeting is not the only important thing, but also what is achieved after the discussions.

“It should be obvious that we are lagging behind some of our goals, and this should in part motivate our speed.”

This year’s Umushyikarano was held on Monday and Tuesday after a two-year hiatus in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event gave Rwandans from all walks of life the opportunity to pose questions directly to their leaders.

Chaired by President Kagame, Umushyikarano is also attended by members of the Cabinet and Parliament, ambassadors, and Rwandese in the diaspora, among others.

Since 2003, the event has birthed nation-building initiatives such as Abunzi, which are mediation committees that handle disputes before they get to court.