New Delhi: In a historic development, India on Monday inked agreements with Rwanda worth over $200 million in areas spanning agriculture, defence and trade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kigali on Monday evening and held delegation level talks with President Paul Kagame which was when the agreements were inked. Additionally, Modi also announced the setting up of an Indian High Commission in the African country. India has never had a mission in Rwanda and Modi said that the move would not only establish “communication between the governments but also enable visa, passport and consular facilities.”
India also extended two lines of credit — one of $100 million for development of industrial parks and Kigali special economic zone (SEZ) in Rwanda and another one for $100 million for agriculture.
Kagame, who has been the President for almost two decades, also announced that private sectors of the both countries would be discussing the prospects of collaborations between Rwanda and India. Modi has been accompanied by an Indian business delegation and the interaction with the business community in Rwanda is expected to take place on Tuesday.
This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Rwanda. Kagame and Modi had, however, met in July last year when the Rwanda President was visiting India. While announcing Modi’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs here had said that this would be a very broad defence framework agreements as part of India’s efforts to step up ties in African countries over the last four years.
“Apart from being the chair of the African Union, Rwanda is a gateway to Africa for us,” TS Tirumurti, secretary (economic relations) had said.
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