President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, July 28, received letters of credence from three new envoys who will represent their respective countries in Rwanda including Antoine Anfre, the new French Ambassador. Anfre’s appointment has, recently, been described as the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts to restore bilateral ties between two countries. Kagame also received Aishatu Aliyu Musa the Nigerian High Commissioner to Rwanda and Omar Talal Ali Daair who will represent the United Kingdom as High Commissioner. After presenting their letters of credence, to the head of state, the envoys highlighted in subsequent interviews that aim to scale up cordial relations between their respective countries and Rwanda, building from the existing foundation. Anfre, who becomes the first French ambassador to Rwanda in six years due to icy relations as a result of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, said he was convinced that Rwanda-France ties are on a promising trend. “I am lucky because I come here two months after the historic visit of President Macron in Kigali,” he added, “I could see that the government is also ready to strengthen the ties with France and also President Kagame is happy with the job which was done in France concerning the Duclert Report on the Genocide against the Tutsi.” This, he said, has more recently provided the needed fundamentals, that would among others facilitate the restoration of ties. “That’s what we need. Of course Rwanda needs partners for development but France also needs new partners for its policy in Africa.” He added, “Rwanda is a profitable country to work with, because since 1994 there are impressive results.” Anfre said his government ‘wants’ to be a tool to quality education, hi-tech medicine, agriculture, business, among other areas. Anfré, 58, is a diplomat familiar with Africa, specifically in the Great Lakes Region. Meanwhile, the Nigerian envoy disclosed that the two countries are in advanced talks to form a joint permanent commission that she said will be beneficial in the political, economic, social, and security spaces. “It is an umbrella agreement, there will be a lot of benefits. We are talking about signing it, it will soon be signed.” Nigeria being Africa’s largest economy, Musa said that she aims to focus on boosting investment between the two countries under her tenure. “I hope to prioritize investment between the two countries. That is getting the business community of Rwanda travelling to Nigeria and vice versa. It is my goal to make it better.” Working towards further developments On his part, Omar Talal Ali Daair, the new UK High Commissioner said that he was looking forward to better ties during his tour of duty. “I think there will be lots of further developments in our relationships over the next few years, some are still at an earlier stage I would not want to just announce but there are also new areas to work on together.” Daair thinks that this week’s Global Education Summit is expected to attract more financing, as the UK government intensifies efforts to empower the local education sector with world class skills. He also said that his appointment will serve as a chance for Commonwealth partners to discuss common challenges such as governance, climate change or trade. “I think its a very important issue when we come to not just discuss the bilateral relationship, but also bigger international issues.”
