President Paul Kagame on Thursday, September 16, hosted his Beninese counterpart Romuald Wadagni, who is in Rwanda for a two-day official visit, his first to the country since taking office in May.

Wadagni was elected president on April 12 and sworn in on May 24 for a seven-year term.

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His visit to Rwanda is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries, which have expanded their ties in areas including security, trade and investment, transport, tourism and ICT.

Kagame visited Benin in 2023 and held talks with then-President Patrice Talon. The two countries also signed a security and military cooperation agreement that year.

Wadagni, who was then Benin’s minister of economy and finance, also visited Rwanda in 2023 as a special envoy of Talon and delivered a message from the Beninese president to Kagame.

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On Thursday, Wadagni was received at the President’s Office, where he inspected a military guard of honour before holding a tête-à-tête with Kagame to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation.

The two presidents are also expected to lead talks involving officials from both countries.

During his visit, Wadagni is also expected to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi and other sites.