Africa-Press – Rwanda. President Paul Kagame and visiting Mozambican counterpart Daniel Chapo have renewed their commitment to cooperation between Rwanda and Mozambique following the signing of key agreements in the areas of peace and security, and in trade.
The two Presidents on Wednesday, August 27, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Investment and Export Promotion Agency of Mozambique, signed by RDB CEO Jean Afrique and Mozambique’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Amade Miquidade, as well as a Status of the Force Agreement (SOFA) on support to fight terrorism in Mozambique, signed by Rwanda’s Minister of Defence and Mozambique’s Minister of National Defence, Cristóvão Artur Chume.
Before the signing, the two Presidents held a one-on-one meeting in which they discussed key areas of cooperation.
“We already have several cooperation frameworks in place. The priority now is to effectively implement these frameworks and framework agreements, and that is what our teams will be focusing on,” President Kagame said.
The Head of State noted that “good progress is being made,” citing the renewal of cooperation in peace, security, and trade.
Since mid-2021, Rwandan and Mozambican armed forces have collaborated in the fight against jihadist insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.
Kagame said that violent extremism across the continent is an increasing threat to people and governments.
“As Africans, we need to own and confront this problem as one continent. That is one of the best investments we can make in ourselves. Outsourcing this responsibility to external actors will not build lasting peace or development,” he added.
Kagame thanked Chapo for honouring his invitation to Kigali, saying it cements bilateral relations between the two countries.
“We are happy that you will be visiting some of our key industries and meeting members of our private sector. This is a good opportunity to strengthen our business networks for the benefit of our two nations,” Kagame told Chapo, who is on his first visit to Rwanda since he was elected Presidedent of Mozambique in October 2024.
“All in all, I am confident that we are on the right path to growing an already excellent partnership that we have, and I look forward to continuing to work with you,” he said.
For his part, the Mozambican leader thanked President Kagame, the Government and the people of Rwanda for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation during his first working visit to Rwanda.
“We have had excellent bilateral conversations. In my meeting with my brother, President Paul Kagame, we concluded that our relationship is in the best shape now. We believe that we need to deepen cooperation between our two countries, particularly in trade and the economy,” Chapo said.
He also paid homate to Rwandan troops deployed to Cabo Delgado, and Rwanda’s support to peace in the region.
“Thanks to this cooperation, we can see peace returning to the region, despite sporadic attacks,” Chapo said.
The Mozambican leader invited Kagame to visit his country.
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