Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, Minister of state for transport (Right) and his Singaporean counterpart after signing the agreement
Rwanda and Singapore have signed Bilateral Air Services Agreements which could see RwandAir expand its flights to the Asian country, one of the world’s fastest growing countries.
“We have signed agreements that would see RwandAir operate in Singapore or Singapore airline come to Rwanda,” Amb Claver Gatete, the Minister of Infrastructure said just after the signing ceremony on Thursday.
“Rwanda will learn much from Singapore in the area of aviation because Singapore airport is rated number one globally,” Gatete said.
Both countries have also signed investment agreement that will allow investors of both countries to freely do business in either country.
Minister Gatete said that in the agreement they have determined that “anyone from Singapore who will invest in Rwanda will be considered like any other Rwanda business people and any Rwandan investor in Singapore will be treated like any national doing business home.”
Singaporean delegation announces country’s business community commitment to invest in Rwanda
Tharman Shanmugaratman, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore who was the head of the thirty-man delegation from Singapore said that the agreement will bring mutual interests.
“It is our privilege. Rwanda as a country that has had a fair share of challenges that very few countries have been through, and we feel it is our responsibility to partner with you and to share our experiences,” he said.
“The relationship between Singapore and Rwanda is not a relationship where you think of exact wins and you make calculations of costs and benefits, but we know that when we partner with each other over time it becomes a win-win and both sides win.”
During his visit to Rwanda, Shanmugaratman was accompanied by Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry in Singapore, who signed both agreements on behalf of his country.
Rwanda and Singapore investment agreement. Rwandan investors will have treatment of Singaporean citizen when they invest in Singapore and vice versa.
The Sengapore delegation to Rwanda visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site, the final resting place for more than 250,000 genocide victims.
On Thursday, the team also held bilateral talks with officials in the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the private sector federation on prospects of partnership including aviation sector, financial market development and land use and public sector management.
Rwanda exports to Singapore amounts to $31 million while Singapore exports to Rwanda is worth $5 million, but Minister Vincent Munyeshyaka said they are expecting more investments from Singapore since “more investors from Singapore are currently registering their businesses with RDB.”
“We also encourage Rwandan business people to use this opportunity and invest in Singapore,” Munyeshyaka said.
