Gaborone – Rwandan President Paul Kagame will travel to Botswana for a state visit on 6 and 7 May 2026, at the invitation of Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko, with talks expected to cover digital trade, tourism, transport connectivity, animal vaccines and cooperation in the diamond value chain.
The visit will be preceded by the Second Session of the Botswana and Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation, scheduled for 4 and 5 May 2026, a body established to provide a structured framework for deepening bilateral engagement between the two countries.
The state visit builds on progress made since Kagame’s 2019 visit to Botswana, which produced the agreement to set up the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation.
During his time in Gaborone, Kagame is also expected to visit the Diamond Trading Company Botswana. A business forum is lined up for 5 May 2026, a day before the formal state visit begins.
Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including a cooperation deal on trade and investment, an institutional collaboration agreement between the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre and the Rwanda Development Board, and a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement designed to make it easier for businesses and investors to operate across both countries.
Kagame will be accompanied by government ministers, senior officials and a business delegation.
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