New Delhi, March 3: India and Rwanda held a Joint Commission meeting on Tuesday, co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, and Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier J.P. Ndahungirehe. Ndahungirehe arrived in India to participate in the 11th Raisina Dialogue and the second India-Rwanda Joint Commission meeting.
The meeting reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, covering defense, agriculture, trade and investment, health, education, science and technology, digital platforms, culture, and people-to-people connections. Economic Relations Secretary Sudhakar Dalela and other officials from the Ministry of External Affairs also attended.
Kirti Vardhan Singh expressed his satisfaction on social media platform ‘X’, stating, “I was pleased to co-chair the second India-Rwanda Joint Commission meeting with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier J.P. Ndahungirehe. We reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including defense, agriculture, trade and investment, health, education, science and technology, digital platforms, culture, and people-to-people connections. Both sides exchanged views on regional and global issues and signed a Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for 2026-30.”
Earlier in January, Rwanda’s Ambassador to India, Jacqueline Mukangira, noted that more Gujaratis are visiting Rwanda to take advantage of the favorable investment climate, which includes fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for national and foreign investors, along with a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.
Speaking during the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, the ambassador highlighted, “Rwanda and India share excellent bilateral relations, and many Indians are doing business in Rwanda, with a significant number coming from Gujarat. In fact, India is Rwanda’s second-largest foreign investor and its second-largest trading partner.”
She further mentioned that Rwanda imports medicines, ICT machinery and equipment, as well as goods like rice, textiles, and sugar, most of which can be sourced from Gujarat.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the bilateral relations between India and Rwanda have been cordial and have strengthened over the years. Rwanda officially opened its mission in New Delhi in 1999 and appointed its first resident ambassador in 2001. India established its permanent mission in Kigali with the arrival of a High Commissioner on August 15, 2018.
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