Kigali: Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Rwanda, H E Prudence Sebahizi affirmed that the visit of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Rwandan capital Kigali reflects the depth of relations between the two countries and represents an important milestone in enhancing cooperation across various fields, especially economic and investment sectors.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), His Excellency stated that bilateral relations have grown so fast and “built on mutual trust and cooperation, in Rwanda and Qatar, we have been trading to each other, but we also have other development cooperation, especially on the side of investment. Currently, Qatar Airways is investing in RWANDAIR, and jointly they are investing in the new airport in Rwanda, which is a good opportunity for Rwanda to position itself as a logistic hub, given our geographic location and also our relations with the rest of African countries”.
Hw added: “Our trade has grown more than 30 percent, which is a good indication that we have a lot of potential to trade to each other. Rwanda has been exporting coffee to Qatar. But at the same time we do import petroleum products and fertilizers and we think there is much more aspects of cooperation, especially in logistics and also innovation and ICT”.
The Minister pointed out: “Recently, we have signed a number of MOUs covering different areas of collaboration like ICT, education, agriculture, innovation, and so many others. This gives us assurance that there will be growing investment, even if today we don’t have the size of investment on record, the most expects investment is the current project of expanding Kigali international airport, and also investment in RWANDAIR”.
His Excellency explained that Rwanda is a promising investment and tourism destination due to its stability and business-friendly environment, having ranked highly in World Bank reports on ease of doing business, making it one of the leading regional destinations for investment in tourism, hospitality, and technology sectors.
In terms of ICT, he said, “ Rwanda has been leading in ICT over the last 25 years in the region and the continent. We are among the best countries in the world in terms of policy framework to promote ICT. Again, I see Rwanda as a hub for investing in ICT”.
He added that Rwanda’s membership in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) enhances its position as a key economic and trade center connecting regional and international markets, stressing that cooperation with the State of Qatar could contribute to expanding economic development prospects at both bilateral and regional levels.
Regarding his vision for strengthening cooperation between the two countries, His Excellency said: “ We also see it as a very good opportunity in terms of cooperation, because there is a lot we can learn from each other, the two countries that have the same vision, that have visionary leaders. There is a lot we can learn from that high-level leadership and also that friendship the two countries are enjoying”.
The Minister also addressed Qatari investors, inviting them to explore the promising opportunities Rwanda offers, affirming that his country enjoys political and economic stability and adopts transparent legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure investor protection.
