President Paul Kagame is on Monday, February 14, in Doha, Qatar on an official working visit, according to information from Qatar News Agency. According to the agency, upon arrival, the President was welcomed by different officials, including the Qatari Director of Protocol Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, the Qatari Ambassador to Rwanda, Misfer Faisal Mubarak Al-Ajab Al-Shahwani, and the Ambassador of Rwanda to Qatar, François Nkulikiyimfura. Rwanda and Qatar enjoy strong partnerships cutting across different sectors of development in the recent past. In December 2021, RwandAir, the national carrier, launched its direct flight to Doha that operates three times a week, following a codeshare agreement signed between the two countries that place Rwanda’s national carrier code on 65 routes operated by the Doha-based Qatar Airways. Prior to that, in December 2019, Qatar Airways acquired a 60 per cent stake in the Bugesera International Airport which is under construction with the remaining shares left to the government. The partnership between the two countries extends to business opportunities that people can benefit from both markets through an agreement signed between Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and Rwanda Finance Limited (RFL), in September last year. The cooperation promotes skills development through training programmes, facilitate the creation of a community between the fintech ecosystems, and continuous improvement in the financial landscape, among others. On the other hand, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) are key investors in the established Virunga Africa Funds I, a $250 million investment fund that will be invested in sectors capable of driving economic growth and social transformation across Africa. At a time when Qatar is preparing for FIFA World Cup 2022, a working deal was opened for Rwandans in the hospitality sector. Graduates from a local varsity, University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB) will be sent to Qatar for internships and job offers, in a period of five years.
