Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, has highlighted the country’s growing economic partnership with India, while defending Rwanda’s security posture amid ongoing tensions with DR Congo and criticising sanctions imposed by the United States.

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In an interview with Indian news media Firstpost on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi on Friday, March 6, Nduhungirehe said India has emerged as one of Rwanda’s most important economic partners, with investment approaching $500 million.

"It’s an important partnership that we have,” he said, noting that India is now the second-largest source of investment in Rwanda.

"We believe that this cooperation can grow further, especially in areas where India has comparative advantage like manufacturing, ICT and digital innovation.”

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Nduhungirehe said the sectors align with Rwanda’s development priorities, particularly as the country pushes digital literacy, technological innovation and value addition in production.

"A problem we have in Africa is always exporting raw materials without adding value,” he said, stressing the importance of building manufacturing capacity to strengthen exports.

Nduhungirehe attributed Rwanda’s strong economic performance in over the past two decades to investments in services, agriculture and tourism, alongside efforts to build a skilled workforce.

He noted that the services sector is the largest contributor to Rwanda’s GDP, driven partly by investment in youth and skills development.

The government has also prioritised agro-processing under "Made in Rwanda” initiative to increase the value of locally produced goods before export.

"We process or add value to our local products so we can export and reduce our trade deficit,” he said.

The tourism and the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector has also become a key pillar of the economy. Rwanda has positioned itself as a major destination for international conferences, with Nduhungirehe noting that Kigali ranks among the leading African cities for hosting global events.

Nduhungirehe said Rwanda’s broader economic strategy centres on building trade and investment partnerships rather than relying on development aid.

"We know that we are a small, landlocked developing country in the heart of Africa,” he said. "But we need partnerships, we need regional integration so that we can have free movement of people, goods and services.”

He added that Rwanda’s economic diplomacy seeks to shift the country and the continent more broadly from dependence on aid towards stronger trade relations and investment flows.

"What we want is to transition from aid to trade,” he said.

Tensions with DR Congo

On the conflict in eastern DR Congo, Nduhungirehe noted that the current tensions originate from the aftermath of the 1994Genocide against the Tusti, in which about one million lives were lost.

He said the former Rwandan army and the Interahamwe militias responsible for the genocide fled into eastern Congo and were never fully disarmed, and they continue to pose a threat to Rwanda.

"These forces crossed the border [into Congo] and were never disarmed,” he said, adding that Rwanda has deployed defensive measures along its borders to prevent attacks.

The minister also referenced the role of the FDLR, a militia Rwanda accuses of maintaining genocidal ideology. The added the terrorist group had been integrated into the Congolese army.

'Counterproductive sanctions'

Nduhungirehe described recent US sanctions ON Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) over alleged support to the AFC/M23 rebels as "counterproductive,” arguing that these measures fail to address the root causes of the conflict.

He noted that similar sanctions were imposed during the first rebellion of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion in 2012–2013 and did not resolve underlying tensions, leading to the rebel movement's resurfacing in late 2021.

"The issue now should be to address the root causes so that we end this conflict once and for all,” Nduhungirehe said.

He also warned that Rwanda takes seriously rhetoric targeting Tutsi communities in eastern Congo, saying the government views such language as a serious security concern.

Peace process

Despite the tensions, Nduhungirehe said Rwanda continues to support diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.

He pointed to ongoing negotiations linked to the Washington and Doha frameworks involving Kinshasa and Kigali, and the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebel group, respectively.

"We still believe in the Washington Accords,” he said, adding that progress also depends on internal dialogue between Congolese actors.

Nduhungirehe said the African Union could play a key role in supporting implementation of the existing peace frameworks.

"We don’t need another process,” he said. "The agreements are comprehensive enough. What we need now is implementation.”