First Lady extolls Inkomoko's accomplishments on its 10th anniversary

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Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 Before I let you in on my affection for Inga Mokko,

00:19 I must divulge that I was, in fact,

00:23 invited to serve as this event's DJ.

00:27 [LAUGHTER]

00:30 [APPLAUSE]

00:33 Thank you, Inga Mokko, for seeing in me a potential

00:37 that painfully few have seen before.

00:43 Although it did take you a 10-year anniversary

00:47 to finally acknowledge this talent of mine.

00:51 [LAUGHTER]

00:53 It's better late than never.

00:56 Despite the temptation to be first who I am by the afternoon--

01:03 I mean, by the day, and the DJ by the evening--

01:08 in a famous lounge of our capital, Kigali,

01:11 I had to politely but reluctantly decline

01:14 this proposition and opt to share a few words instead

01:20 for I'm truly happy to be here.

01:23 [APPLAUSE]

01:27 Dear friends, among us are pioneers of new age

01:31 entrepreneurship in Rwanda and the legends

01:34 of international entrepreneurial success.

01:37 And the accomplishments of those you see here

01:40 are undeniably great beyond their years.

01:44 And this is what we are here to discuss.

01:49 Friends, performance is key to successful entrepreneurship.

01:53 We have all had the attested accounts

01:57 of world-renowned entrepreneurs who started their businesses

02:01 on a tiny investment, determination, and an ability

02:05 to only sleep a couple of hours a night.

02:10 Granted, but I will not encourage

02:12 you to emulate the latter, lest any of your mothers

02:17 be watching.

02:20 But what these tales of devotion to one's enterprise

02:23 tell us is that in order to be successful,

02:26 a business might provide added value.

02:30 And for that, you, the entrepreneur,

02:32 must also show your own.

02:35 At times, you will need to prove how much harder

02:38 you are willing to work, adding hours of labor

02:42 to your daily roster.

02:45 At other times, your product or service

02:48 should testify to how much wider you're

02:51 willing to stretch your mind to be

02:54 receptive of every bit of information that could enrich

02:58 your ideas and practices.

03:02 And every time, you will need to show unique courage

03:05 and confidence in your vision beyond what is traditionally

03:08 taught in school to drive the success you desire.

03:13 I believe you all have added value,

03:15 and clearly so does our dear Ngomoko.

03:20 Ngomoko in our native Kinyarwanda

03:23 translates to the origin.

03:25 And my understanding is that it's

03:27 a play on the seed, assistance that Ngomoko has been providing

03:31 for 10 years in terms of capital, mentorship,

03:34 and networking opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized

03:39 businesses.

03:42 And speaking to each, happiest 10th anniversary, Ngomoko.

03:48 [APPLAUSE]

03:52 Dear Ngomoko family, it must be said,

03:54 the wonderful work you have put in is truly a gift to us all.

03:59 And judging from your model's exportation

04:01 to Kenya and Ethiopia, you are on the right track

04:05 to a global presence.

04:07 For that, we salute you.

04:10 You've shown inspiring, deeply humane inclusiveness

04:14 in your service provision, and embodied the Rwandan effort

04:17 to overcome poverty and protect the dignity of not only

04:22 our citizens, but also those who have sought refuge in Rwanda.

04:28 You do your part daily in contribution

04:31 to our national strategy for transformation

04:34 to achieve the high standards of living while we all deserve.

04:40 You have, for that, you have earned your accolades.

04:44 You may already know this, dear friends,

04:47 but small to medium-sized business

04:50 represent 80% of our labor force and 90% of our private sector.

04:56 So next time you hear a little spicy discourse pointing

05:00 to the disparity between corporate taxes

05:04 and the much smaller proportionate taxing

05:07 of small and micro businesses, remember

05:10 this fine, chilled afternoon at Chilax Lounge.

05:15 [APPLAUSE]

05:20 The difference in taxation, my dear friends,

05:23 is what we call equity.

05:26 It's the humane system that we promised

05:28 as we encourage countless small businesses, entrepreneurs,

05:32 from mudugudu boutique owners to motorcycle drivers

05:37 to make the shift from informal to formal

05:41 to help support our economy and prosper both themselves

05:45 and our nation.

05:47 And to every entrepreneur that has

05:49 chosen to accompany us on this formidable journey of progress,

05:53 your transition is welcome and admirable,

05:56 and you have my sincere encouragement.

06:00 Dear Ngui Moko, we have not forgotten

06:02 that we are here to celebrate you.

06:04 Specifically today, may your model

06:06 become a household name across Africa

06:09 as you work towards supporting more businesses to thrive.

06:13 Valued friends, I believe you understand

06:16 a core aspect of our president's pledge

06:18 and call of thinking big, something

06:22 we must always remember.

06:26 Thinking big is not always about being big,

06:29 which I hope small and medium businesses understand.

06:33 Thinking big is about the greatness of your ideas,

06:38 the scale of the potential impact,

06:45 and the highest of standards that you

06:48 are willing to perpetually demand of yourselves.

06:52 Dear Ngui Moko, here is to wishing you once again

06:57 a wonderful 10th anniversary and many more successful years

07:01 to come.

07:03 And here is yet more celebration and joy.

07:06 I thank you for your kind attention,

07:09 and may the battle of the D-days begin.

07:14 (upbeat music)

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