President Paul Kagame, on Monday, March 21, arrived in Doha, Qatar for an official working visit. According to the Office of the President, Kagame met with the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad for a discussion on ongoing areas of bilateral partnerships between both countries. ALSO READ: Kagame explains why he invited Qatar leader to Commonwealth summit Rwanda and Qatar enjoy strong partnerships cutting across different sectors of development that has seen the President make a number of official visits in this country in the recent past as a way to catalyze them even further. 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 2021. The cooperation promotes skills development through training programmes, facilitates 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 Virunga Africa Funds, a $250 million investment fund that will be invested in sectors capable of driving economic growth and social transformation across Africa. ALSO READ: Kagame commends Qatar for successfully hosting World Cup The partnerships also received a boost when in December 2021, RwandAir, the national carrier, launched its direct flight to Doha that operates three times a week, following a code-sharing agreement signed between the two countries that places 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 government owning the remaining shares. At a time when Qatar was preparing for FIFA World Cup 2022, a working deal opened for Rwandans in the hospitality sector. Graduates from a local varsity, University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB) are now sent to Qatar for internships and job offers for a period of five years. Recently, Kagame commended the Qatari people for successfully hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 despite the “relentless onslaught of negative propaganda”.
