Rwandan diplomat Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye on Saturday, May 17 presented his letters of credence to the Sultan of Brunei, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, as Rwanda’s first non-resident High Commissioner to Brunei. Uwihanganye, who has his residence in Singapore, also holds accreditation for Australia and New Zealand. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank move to strengthen ties During his visit to Brunei, he held discussions with Dato Seri Paduka Abdul Manaf, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, to discuss potential bilateral partnership in tourism development. The High Commissioner is scheduled for additional meetings with Bruneian senior officials to discuss cooperation with Rwanda in various sectors, such as real estate investment, agriculture and finance. Rwanda and Brunei, both part of the Commonwealth, officially established their diplomatic relations in December 2020. In June 2022, President Paul Kagame met with the Sultan of Brunei, during the Sultan's visit to Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and held discussions that centred on matters of mutual interest. ALSO READ: Kagame talks Rwanda’s development, hope for the future in young people Brunei, a wealthy nation in Southeast Asia, has a population of just over 455,000 residents. Traditionally, the economy of the small nation has heavily relied on the export of crude oil and natural gas, with income from the petroleum sector making up more than half of its GDP. Besides, Brunei’s domestic production income is substantially bolstered by substantial revenues from overseas investments, primarily through the Brunei Investment Currently, Rwanda and Brunei are discussing agreements in education cooperation and a visa-free program, according to information from the Rwandan High Commission in Singapore.
