Hon. Ms. Suzuki(L) with Rwanda’s foreign Minister Vincent Biruta
At the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Friendship between Japan and Rwanda, Hon. Ms. Suzuki is visiting Rwanda from May 3, 2022 for 3 days.
The purpose of the visit is to showcase long-term cooperation for economic development between the two countries in various fields, such as agriculture, infrastructure, ICT, space as well as to gain momentum to further enhance the bilateral relations towards the TICAD 8 which will be held in August 2022.
Prior to her arrival in Kigali, Ms. Suzuki co-hosted Japan- Africa Public-Private Economic Forum in Nairobi on May 3, 2022. The Forum highlighted the challenges surrounding a private-sector-drive economic growth and showcased successful and innovative examples to explore the way forward. It had a wide range of participants such as Ministers in charge of economy and trade from African countries, as well as private companies and key business institutions of both Japan and African countries.
On 4 May, Ms. Suzuki visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to victims of the tragedy, which was followed by meetings with Rwandan dignitaries including Hon. Dr. Vincent Biruta, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Hon. Ms. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation to exchange views on wide range of issues from the bilateral relations to cooperation in the international arena. She will also meet with former Rwandan students in Japan and Japanese entrepreneurs who contribute to economic development and job creation in Rwanda.
Boosting bilateral economic cooperation that will benefit both countries is one of the priorities for the two countries. It liaises with the on-going discussions towards TICAD 8, where “Achieving sustainable and inclusive growth with reduced economic inequalities” will be one of the three focus areas. Other areas include “Realizing a sustainable and resilient society based on human security” and “Building sustainable peace and stability through supporting Africa’s own efforts”.
Both peoples of Rwanda and Japan are down-to-earth and hardworking. Such kind of shared mindsets can nurture mutual trust between the governments and peoples of the two countries. The visit of Hon. State Minister Suzuki is going to be a milestone to add impetus to our win-win bilateral cooperation.
