President Kagame met and held talks with EAC Secretary General Nduva.
President Paul Kagame on Friday at Urugwiro Village received Veronica Mueni Nduva, the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), with whom he held discussions on regional integration and other matters relating to the East African community.
It is the first time President Kagame has received Nduva, who was sworn into office on June 7, during the 23rd Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Heads of State, replacing Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, who left the position in March this year.
Nduva, who was sworn-in by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairperson of the Summit and President of South Sudan, at State House in Juba, said at the time that her mission is to deepen integration and development of the people of East Africa.
Ms. Nduva said her key priorities would include strengthening economic integration that encourages innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation in addition to peace and security.
President Kagame and SG Nduva discussed matters relating to regional integration.
While in Rwanda, the EAC SG met and held talks with senior officials, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, James Kabarebe, who accompanied her to Urugwiro Village, and also met Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), with who she discuss matters specifically related to payment systems integration in the EAC region.
The Kenyan national, who is EAC’s first female SG, disclosed that advanced social development would also be a priority for her with special attention being given to empowering women and youth who are the backbone of the society in the region.
Infrastructure development also ranks high on her agenda, promising to come up with innovative financing solutions and strengthen public-private-partnerships (PPPs).
“To promote climate resilient growth, we will continue addressing the pressing challenges of climate change collectively as a region. This includes promoting green energy, sustainable agriculture, conservation efforts and resource mobilisation as a bloc,” she said when was sworn-in.
Nduva came into office at the time the regional bloc was rattled by allegations of corruption and misuse of funds under Dr. Mathuki’s tenure. Mathuki was recalled by Kenya in March 2024 and redeployed as the country’s Ambassador to Russia.
Prior to her appointment as SG, Ms. Nduva was the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Performance and Delivery Management in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
The EAC SG visited different institutions, including the Central Bank, where she held talks with the Deputy Governor, Soraya Hakuziyaremye.
