Rwanda and the Republic of Congo on July 22 signed an agreement to fast-track trade and economic cooperation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

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The agreement was signed by Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industries, and Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, the Minister of International Cooperation in Congo-Brazzaville. The deal’s signing was presided over by President Paul Kagame and President Denis Sassou Nguesso.

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This was during President Nguesso’s two-day state visit during which he visited Kigali Genocide Memorial, addressed members of Parliament, and toured Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), among other activities.

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Vincent Biruta, said the Congolese President’s visit was an opportunity to take stock of the progress made so far in terms of implementation and to identify strategic areas to focus on.

He said the signing of the memorandum of understanding on preferential trade to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries under the AfCFTA, will be based on key strategic areas. The latter include economic projects that reflect a commitment to sustainable development, responsible resource management, and economic growth.

"We are glad to see various economic projects being implemented between our two countries in different areas including industrial cooperation, agriculture, and mining. These projects are at various stages of implementation and we believe that these initiatives will yield significant benefits for our respective citizens,” he added.

Bilateral engagements resulted in the signing of 33 agreements and a memorandum of understanding.

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Notable achievements include the bilateral air service agreement which allowed Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir, direct flights to Congo-Brazzaville and the ratification of the double taxation avoidance agreement as well as the ratification of a visa waiver between both countries.

Going forward, Biruta said, they will put in place a monitoring system to regularly assess progress on agreements signed and ongoing economic projects.

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President Sassou Nguesso emphasized the importance of implementing the AfCFTA pointing at the need to have free movement of people and goods as a catalyst of economic development on the continent.

"We must remain vigilant and ensure that all of our collaborators at all levels work as hard as possible to achieve concrete, tangible results. Cooperation cannot remain the ritual signing of agreements and thrown in the shelves to collect dust. We need results,” he said.

President Kagame noted that they are going to build on this cooperation and ensure that there is accelerated progress toward achieving the desired development.

"We want to see our two countries thrive and interact more with people of our continent. We have already made progress in the area of AfCFTA. We want to make that work. We want Rwanda and Congo to be in the lead of making this progress.”

In April 2022, President Kagame visited Congo-Brazzaville and addressed a joint session of the Congolese Parliament where he reflected on the actions of both countries in achieving continental prosperity and deepening the friendship between Rwanda and Congo.