Rwanda and Kenya on Tuesday, signed nine agreements aimed at creating frameworks for cooperation in mutual areas of interests. This was part of the agenda of President William Ruto's two-day state visit in Rwanda where he held bilateral talks with President Paul Kagame and will later on be hosted to a state banquet tonight. Six agreements signed by both countries’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Dr Vincent Biruta and his counterpart Alfred Mutua include, correctional services, diplomatic training, ICT, health, youth, and cooperative development. In addition, three agreements in education, agriculture, and gender were signed by each country’s respective ministers. Rwanda and Kenya have for a long time enjoyed cordial bilateral ties across different sectors of development. ALSO READ: Kagame, Ruto to discuss Northern Corridor, food security, tech Kagame said that the new areas of cooperation will bring people in both countries even closer, with regional integration and trade being a big part of the equation of private sector growth. “We are happy that Rwanda is home to a large and vibrant Kenyan community, we are grateful for their contributions to our development. I hope that we can leverage this shared interest to equip our youth with the skills and knowledge to innovate and compete.” It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 Kenyans living in Rwanda. Kagame noted that the people of Rwanda and Kenya are also united by a common vision for a more stable region. Ruto said that the signed MoUs in different sectors will consolidate the relationship between the two countries, present a new momentum and create new impetus for the expansion of engagements between both countries. “Just like Rwanda is a gateway for us in the Great Lakes Region, we are also aware that Mombasa is an important port for the people of Rwanda and creates the synergy between our two economies and we will continue building the network necessary for us to benefit from it,” he added. Referring to the reform of the education system underway in Kenya, Ruto said the agreement in the education sector will help to address “the big challenge of financing university education, we are going to share experience on how we can make education much more relevant and easy to deliver and also cost effective.” He also noted that there will be sharing of expertise and facilities between the big referral hospitals in both countries in the health sector. “I, again, affirm the cordial relations between our two countries, our and our shared desire to deepen and expand the bonds of friendship. And unity between our two nations,” Ruto added. Rwanda and Kenya ratified the One Area Network that allows the ease of communication with reduced rates of calls between both countries, thus enabling businesses to thrive.
