Rwanda and Senegal signed three agreements and eight memoranda of understanding covering several sectors and established a joint committee to oversee their implementation.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and Senegal’s Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Cheikh Niang, signed the instruments during the inaugural Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation in Kigali.
The memoranda cover political consultations, information and communication technology and innovation, tourism, youth, culture and the arts, sport, higher education and scientific research, and standardization.
The three agreements provide for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition and the transfer of sentenced persons between the two countries.
“The issue is not simply to sign agreements,” Nduhungirehe said. He said the commitments must address areas important to both countries and deliver concrete results for their citizens.
The commission was held alongside the Rwanda-Senegal Investment Forum, which brought together businesses and investors to explore partnerships and investment opportunities.
Nduhungirehe said connecting the two countries’ business communities was important in turning the political commitment of their leaders into economic cooperation. He also pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as an opportunity to increase trade and investment.
Niang said Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s state visit to Rwanda in 2025 had strengthened relations and created further opportunities for cooperation.
“Our responsibility is to build on these commitments, ensure their follow-up and promote their concrete implementation,” he said.
During that visit, President Faye and President Paul Kagame witnessed the signing of five agreements covering visa-free travel for all passport holders, agriculture and livestock, health, development planning and correctional services.
Experts from Rwanda and Senegal are expected to meet in 2027 to assess progress in implementing the agreements. The second session of the Joint Permanent Commission will be held in Senegal on a date to be agreed through diplomatic channels.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10