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Rwandan President Paul Kagame is on a five-day state visit to Seychelles and was the guest of honour at the National Day celebrations. Seychelles and Rwanda signed five memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and an agreement on the first day of the state visit
The Rwandan President had a private interaction with Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalwan at the State House. On his side, Kagame stated that discussions held at State House with his Seychellois counterpart were productive as Seychelles and Rwanda are driven by common aspirations to improve the lives of their citizens, working hand in hand with partners in the region and beyond.
The two presidents then held a bilateral meeting followed by the signing of the MOUs and an agreement by Seychelles’ foreign affairs minister, Sylvestre Radegonde, and Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze. The MOUs are for cooperation in the field of defence and security, law enforcement, agriculture, health, and tourism. The two countries also signed a visa waiver agreement which will allow Seychellois citizens to travel to Rwanda visa-free. Travel for Rwandans to Seychelles is already visa-free.
In his press statement, Ramkalawan outlined that within law enforcement, Rwanda has one of the best police academies and Rwanda has agreed that the Seychelles police force will be able to use the facilities of its academies at all levels. In the same way for defence and security, Rwanda continues to play a leading role. In the field of agriculture, Rwanda is again showing leadership on the African continent and small Seychelles would like to tap into the experience. The MOU signed will give our agricultural field a greater hope for improvements. In the field of health, tourism, and other areas, I think what we signed today marks the confirmation of the solid relationships that we want to further.
Both countries intend to deepen their cooperation across strategic areas of mutual benefit. For Seychelles and Rwanda, tourism is a key driver of economic growth. Collectively, there is a lot both nations can do to make the sector more sustainable and resilient. Tourism creates enormous opportunities for air connectivity and commercial links bringing businesses from Seychelles and Rwanda closer together.
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Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in October 2010. Over the years, Seychelles and Rwanda have had engagements and exchanges as members of the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Commonwealth, and La Francophonie. In August 2013, Seychelles and Rwanda signed a general cooperation agreement that makes provision for the establishment of a Joint Commission to pave the way for more effective collaboration between the two countries, especially in the fields of health, tourism, culture, education, agriculture, trade and investment promotion, air services, information, communication, and technology.
