State visit of President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame |30 June 2023

Minister Ngabitsinze and Minister Radegonde signing the MoUs and agreement

Seychelles and Rwanda sign five MoUs and an agreement

The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, is currently on a four-day State visit to Seychelles at the invitation of President Wavel Ramkalawan and he was also the guest of honour at the National Day parade yesterday.

He is accompanied by his spouse Jeannette Kagame, one minister and other high officials of his administration.

On the first day of his visit, last Wednesday, five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and an agreement were signed between the two countries by the Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs & Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde and the Rwandan Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze.

President Kagame was received at State House with full military honours where he was welcomed by all the ministers of the Seychellois cabinet; Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Rony Govinden; the leader of government business in the National Assembly, Bernard George; the dean of the diplomatic corps Francesca Alexandra Azais; the Attorney General Frank Ally; the Commissioner of Police Ted Barbe; the Chief of the Seychelles Defence Forces, Brigadier Michael Rosette; director general of the Seychelles Intelligence Service, Benediste Hoareau; secretary of state and secretary to the cabinet Mohamed Afif; and Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, principal secretary for Foreign Affairs.

After a warm welcome by President Ramkalawan and the First Lady, the guests were presented with a bouquet of flowers by two students from Beal Eau primary school – Esther Adrienne and Dario Louis Marie.

After the national anthems of both countries had been played, President Kagame inspected the guard of honour and he was introduced to the Seychellois delegation.

A tête à tête between the two heads of state followed the official welcome.

President Kagame then signed the visitors’ book and then, together with his team, took part in a bilateral meeting with the Seychelles delegation at the Salle Maritime.

The five MoUs relate to cooperation in law enforcement; defence and security; agriculture; health; and tourism.

The agreement which was signed will allow Seychellois to visit Rwanda without a visa.

In his official press statement President Ramkalawan thanked President Kagame for accepting to be the guest of honour for the National Day celebrations. “I would like to personally congratulate you for your leadership not only in Rwanda but on African level, on the Commonwealth and as a world leader. You are an example…you led your country through many difficulties and today Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world. Women find themselves totally secure in your country and we want to emulate your example.”

Regarding the different MoUs and agreement, President Ramkalawan shared that soon Rwanda will open its facility to produce vaccine and this will help all the countries of Africa.

“Rwanda has the best police academy and we have agreed that our police force will be able to use the facilities of your academies at all levels. In the same way for defence and security, Rwanda continues to play a leading role. We realise that 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. Following the signing of the MoU, the hope is that before the end of this year, a delegation from Seychelles will be visiting Rwanda.”

President Kagame shared that the meetings so far with his Seychellois counterpart were productive. “Seychelles and Rwanda are driven by common aspirations to improve the quality of life for our citizens, working hand in hand with the partners in the region. We have been looking into areas of mutual benefits for both countries. Tourism is key for economic growth and collectively we can make the sector more sustainable and resilient.”

President Kagame recalls that our countries are linked through la Francophonie, African Union and Commonwealth and hopes for more collaboration in the future.

After the signing of the agreements, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of Seychelles, Sylvestre Radegonde, noted that Seychelles and Rwanda established ties more than a decade ago. “We sign many MoUs with many countries and with Rwanda a joint task force to follow-up the MoUs. Of course, as a country we do not interfere in their internal politics but we take what we think is good for our country. Rwanda is a country where order is maintained and cleanliness is key. No country is perfect but we take the best practice from each of them and maintain a healthy relation with each one.”

Following the programme at State House, President Kagame had an extraordinary session at the National Assembly then was hosted to a State Banquet at the Eden Bleu Hotel where both presidents made a toast. The banquet was attended by all ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and other officials.

The Rwandan delegation was composed of Dr Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of Trade and Industry; Clementine Mukeka, permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Keuria Sangwa, deputy principal private secretary to the President; Vivianne Mukakizima, director general for communications (Office of the President); Patrick Bucyana, analyst, strategic and policy council (Office of the President); and Tessy Kayitana, deputy principal private secretary to the First Lady.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme