Rwanda and Tanzania on August 2, signed four bilateral agreements during a two-day state visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on the invitation of her counterpart President Paul Kagame. On the first day of the visit, the two leaders held one-on-one talks followed by bilateral talks which culminated in the signing of four bilateral agreements, a function that was overseen by the two heads of state. The agreements include a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of information and communication technology. The agreement was signed by Tanzania’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Faustine Ndugulile and his Rwandan Counterpart Paula Ingabire. Some of Rwanda’s submarine sea cables IT infrastructure are through the coast of Dar es Salaam. The two countries also signed an agreement on cooperation in areas of immigration and another on cooperation in the areas of education matters. The fourth agreement was cooperation in areas of regulation of medical products. The three agreements were signed by Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Liberata Mulamula and Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister. The two heads of state termed the agreements as an opportunity to make the most of warm ties enjoyed by the two countries. Speaking after the agreement signing, President Kagame said that beyond sharing a border, the two nations have strong historical ties and common aspiration to deliver prosperity to their citizens. On her part, President Suluhu said that going forward, they seek to build on the historic ties to go beyond current areas of cooperation. Currently, the ties are strongest in trade and investment with potential in multiple other avenues with Rwanda exporting to Tanzania goods valued at close to $300 million annually. On its part, Tanzania send goods worth over $500m to Rwanda annually.
