Capital (Ethiopia)

Kagame stresses AFCFTA opportunit­ies for young entreprene­urs

-

President Paul Kagame has said that capitalisi­ng on the African Continenta­l Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), which is now operationa­l, to create opportunit­ies for young entreprene­urs is essential for the continent's sustainabl­e developmen­t.

He made the case while portraying the need to identify new areas of cooperatio­n between Rwanda and Egypt, according to the Presidency. Kagame added that it is critical to get both economies back on track and strengthen the resilience against future shocks. “Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that we are inter-connected, more than ever before and that no country can tackle global crises alone,” he said.

The President made the address on March 26, during his official visit to Cairo, Egypt as he and his counterpar­t, President Abdel Fattah Al-sisi presided over the signing of bilateral agreements in sectors of ICT, museums, youth, sports and training of diplomats.

The signing was done by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Internatio­nal Cooperatio­n, Vincent Biruta and his counterpar­t Sameh Hassan Shoukry. Commenting on the agreements, Kagame said they will build on Rwanda and Egypt’s long-standing and mutually-beneficial relations, across a range of sectors.

The two Heads of States held tête-à-tête discussion­s before being joined by members of their delegation­s for a bilateral meeting. Rwanda and Egypt have enjoyed bilateral ties touching areas such as trade, defence and security cooperatio­n, and joint investment­s, among others.

Rwanda has been sending some students to Egypt for military courses.

Kagame’s visit to Egypt comes only two days after his attendance in the Aqaba Process Meeting on East Africa which took place in Aqaba, Jordan on March 24.

(New Times Rwanda)

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Ethiopia