The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe has said that Rwanda’s consistent participation in World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meetings reflects the country’s approach towards diplomacy. He’s leading a power delegation that includes the Minister of ICT & Innovation Paula Ingabire, and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) CEO Jean-Guy Afrika that’s attending the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum Underway in Davos-Klosters in Switzerland. The forum, running under the theme A Spirit of Dialogue, has drawn more than 3,000 participants from across the world, including 65 heads of state and government, according to the organizers. Between Monday and Friday this week, leaders from government, business, and civil society are meeting to discuss some of the pressing challenges confronting the globe. Behind closed doors, WEF serves as a platform for leaders to hold private meetings, informal negotiations, and delegations have a chance to build lasting relationships. According to the foreign affairs minister, Rwanda has actively participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) for many years as part of efforts to engage global policymakers and businesses. “This Forum is a key global platform for engaging with policymakers and business leaders alike,” Nduhungirehe told The New Times. WEF is considered the most influential platform for policymakers and business deal-making, and a leading marketplace of ideas. President Paul Kagame has participated in WEF annual meetings on multiple occasions as part of the country’s global engagements. He participated in WEF editions in 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2024. It is not clear whether the president will participate in this week’s forum. “It (WEF) also reflects Rwanda’s practical approach to diplomacy aimed at attracting investment and positioning ourselves as a reliable global partner,” Nduhungirehe noted. Since 2020, Rwanda has hosted WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), one among a few that’s established across the globe with the aim of promoting artificial intelligence, data governance, digital identity, smart cities, as well as other emerging technologies and regulations. Rwanda hosted the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2016, which brought together government and business leaders from across the continent and beyond. Global agenda At the top of the agenda this week, global leaders are discussing how to cooperate in a more contested world, unlocking new sources of growth, how to better invest in people, deploying innovation at scale, and how to build prosperity within planetary boundaries. Minister Ingabire is expected to participate in a panel discussion titled At the Cusp of Healthcare for All, alongside American billionaire Bill Gates and Peter Sands, Executive Director of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (TGF). The panel will discuss the next steps needed to scale solutions and innovations that have helped global health systems to improve, which would address challenges such as lack of enough clinicians or resources required to cure diseases. At the opening ceremony in the morning, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum Børge Brende highlighted his vision for this year’s edition, saying that “The foundation for moving forward must be built on cooperation and dialogue.”
