Green Party Members in Karongi Elect New Leaders and Receive Democracy Training

On Friday, June 28, 2025, members of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda from all sectors of Karongi District gathered for a leadership training session and local elections aimed at strengthening the party’s structures and empowering grassroots members.

The training focused on democracy, governance, elections, and entrepreneurship. Participants were encouraged to initiate small development projects as a means to generate income and contribute to community development.

Following the training, new local party leaders were elected to replace the outgoing committee whose mandate had ended. A new executive committee of 11 members was voted in, along with youth and women representatives.

Dr. Frank Habineza, President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, presided over the event and addressed the newly elected leaders. He congratulated them and reminded them of the significant responsibility they now hold to promote the party’s values and mission.

“The aim of today’s activity was to establish leadership structures and empower our members with knowledge on democracy, elections, and income-generating projects. Our priority is to build strong, vibrant party institutions. As a party that stands for environmental protection, our slogan is: ‘Cut one tree, plant ten more,’” Dr. Habineza said.

He urged the new leaders to implement the party’s vision by encouraging innovation, self-reliance, and environmental conservation at the grassroots level, starting from the village (umudugudu) to the cell and sector levels.

In the newly concluded elections, Habanabakize Jean was elected President of the Karongi District Executive Committee. He expressed his gratitude to those who entrusted him with the role:

“I am honored to have been elected. I pledge to work closely with all of you to promote the growth of our party and the development of Karongi District. I will mobilize our members to form income-generating cooperatives and fight idleness by engaging in productive activities.”

Kevine Irasubiza, elected as the District Youth Representative, emphasized the need to inspire young people to embrace hard work:

“Many young people are still reluctant to take initiative. My focus will be to motivate them to create projects that can transform their lives. We were trained in pig farming, which is a highly profitable venture, and I believe we can start there.”

Christine Umwali, elected as the District Women’s Representative, committed to empowering women economically and socially:

“My goal is to help women start small businesses so they can contribute meaningfully to their households and support their children’s education and nutrition. We will work hand in hand with men to build strong families and fight malnutrition.”

This leadership renewal and training initiative began in Rwanda’s Northern Province and has now extended to the Western Province. It will continue to other parts of the country in the coming weeks.

Gashonga Jean Claude