Government officials and private sector leaders from Rwanda and Botswana have gathered in Gaborone for a business forum aimed at strengthening trade and investment relations between the two countries.

The Botswana-Rwanda Business Forum, taking place from May 5 to 6, brought together institutions and businesses from key sectors including mining, tourism, finance and digital services.

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According to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the forum is focused on "advancing partnerships, B2B engagements and collaboration across priority sectors between the two countries.”

RDB Deputy CEO, Juliana Muganza, and Keletsositse Olebile, Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, atttended the opening of the forum alongside other officials and private sector representatives from both countries.

The forum comes as Rwanda and Botswana intensify efforts to deepen economic cooperation ahead of President Paul Kagame’s state visit to Gaborone scheduled for May 6 to 7at the invitation of President Duma Gideon Boko.

The business gathering follows the Second Session of the Rwanda-Botswana Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC), where senior officials reviewed progress on bilateral agreements and discussed ways to accelerate their implementation.

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The business forum is expected to provide a platform for companies from both countries to explore investment opportunities and forge commercial partnerships that could help expand trade flows.

Rwanda and Botswana have in recent years strengthened cooperation across sectors such as trade, tourism, health, mining and security.

Several agreements are expected to be signed during Kagame’s visit, including deals on trade and investment cooperation, institutional collaboration between RDB and the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, as well as a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement aimed at easing business and investment flows.