President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire this evening to begin a two-day State visit to the West African country.
The visit is a reciprocal – following a three-day visit in April this year by President Alassane Ouattara.
In Abidjan, President Kagame and the First Lady were received by their hosts President Alassane Ouattara and First Lady Dominique Outtara.
It is expected that this evening, a State Banquet will be hosted in honour of President Kagame and the First Lady where President Kagame will be awarded the « Grand-Croix de l’Ordre National de Côte d’Ivoire » while First Lady Jeannette Kagame will be awarded the «Grade de Commandeur de l’Ordre National de Côte d’Ivoire ».
The visit to Côte d’Ivoire aims to further strengthen diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.
During his visit, Kagame will hold talks with his Ivorian counterpart, and address a joint press conference.
The President will also interact with business leaders operating in Cote d’Ivoire on issues pertaining to free trade, industrialization, and share Rwanda’s example in trade and industry.
One of the key areas of cooperation between Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire has been the signing of a Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) that resulted in RwandAir’s flights to Abidjan starting in October 2016.
