The President of the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Denis Sassou Nguesso, who arrived in Rwanda for a two-day state visit is expected to visit Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) on Saturday, July 22.
Nguesso was received by his Rwanda counterpart, President Paul Kagame, at Kigali International Airport on Friday morning.
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Nguesso will get a presentation on RICA’s contributions to the advancement of agricultural practices in Rwanda and in Africa, according to an agenda for his visit, which was issued by the Office of the President of Rwanda.
Located in Bugesera District, the higher learning institution is part of multimillion-dollar agriculture initiatives in the country that are being funded by American philanthropist Howard G. Buffett.
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The institute focuses on conservation agriculture – a farming system that can prevent losses of arable land while regenerating degraded lands, for improved farm productivity.
RICA campus has 1,300 hectares which, among other purposes, help students to get hands-on learning in conservation agriculture. The campus has crop and livestock farms to this end.
RICA has a mission to educate and inspire a new generation of innovators transforming agriculture, according to information from this higher learning institution.
It indicated that its curriculum is built on conservation agriculture and One Health principles, "as we teach students farming, mechanisation, and irrigation techniques that improve agriculture productivity.”
Other items on the agenda
Meanwhile, after arrival in Rwanda, it is expected that the two Heads of State will hold a closed-door meeting at Village Urugwiro.
Members of both delegations will then join President Kagame and President Sassou-Nguesso for a bilateral discussion on deepening existing cooperation.
Following the bilateral talks, the Heads of State will witness the signing of an agreement of cooperation on accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. President Kagame and his visiting counterpart will then deliver statements before taking questions from the media.
President Sassou-Nguesso will also visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where he will lay a wreath in honor of the over one million lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He will then be received by the President of the Senate, François-Xavier Kalinda, and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Donatille Mukabalisa, at the National Parliamentary building where he will deliver a special address to both Chambers of Parliament of Rwanda.
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President Sassou-Nguesso’s visit to Rwanda follows President Kagame’s visit to the Republic of Congo in April 2022, during which a number of agreements on cooperation were signed in various sectors including economic cooperation, trade and cultural exchange.