President Paul Kagame arrived in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, to attend the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where he is expected to join a high-level discussion on the organisation’s future.
The planned discussion will bring him together with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioʻo.
It will examine how the Commonwealth can make better use of its strengths to improve opportunities for people across its member countries.
The discussion is scheduled as part of the opening of the forums held alongside CHOGM.
Those gatherings give representatives of business, civil society, women and youth an opportunity to contribute to conversations taking place around the leaders’ meeting.
Kagame is also expected to attend the summit’s formal opening ceremony on Tuesday, November 3. King Charles III, the Head of the Commonwealth, is scheduled to address leaders at the ceremony.
The four-day meeting is being held under the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”
Its focus is on turning cooperation among member countries into stronger trade, investment and development partnerships.
Kagame previously served as Commonwealth Chairin-Office after Rwanda hosted CHOGM in Kigali in 2022. His term ended in 2024, making this his first heads of government meeting since leaving that role.
The leaders’ sessions are due to culminate in a retreat reserved for heads of government. The format allows them to discuss shared priorities directly, without their wider delegations.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10