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India's PM Modi brings gifts to Rwanda

Tuesday July 24 2018
ka-modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame address a press conference in Kigali on July 23, 2018. PHOTO | URUGWIRO

By IVAN R. MUGISHA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kigali on Monday evening shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping ended his two-day State visit.

PM Modi, in his first State visit to Rwanda, came bearing gifts as India seeks to boost its ties with Kigali.

President Paul Kagame and his guest held bilateral talks and signed several agreements including loans and grants worth millions of dollars.

India's Exim Bank will extend a $200 million loan for the development of industrial parks, irrigation schemes and the expansion of the Kigali Special Economic Zone.
Families in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, are also set to benefit from 200 cows donated by Mr Modi. They will receive the cows through the government's Girinka programme --One Cow per Family, that aims at empowering poor families.

“During our talks, President Paul Kagame and I discussed new areas of India-Rwanda cooperation in sectors such as leather and dairy research. We even talked about increasing people-to-people contacts between our nations,” he said.

“It is a matter of great joy that India and Rwanda are working together in areas like technology, infrastructure, finance, rural development and technology.”

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As part of further strengthening ties, India announced that it will have a new High Commissioner to Rwanda, the first with residence in Kigali.

President Kagame said he welcomed Indian investments especially in manufacturing where India has "great experience and know-how" that will be a boost to his government as it implements the "Made in Rwanda" initiative.

“We are pleased that an Indian business delegation has accompanied the Prime Minister. Our respective private sectors will discuss the prospects for collaboration between Rwanda and India at tomorrow’s [Tuesday] business summit.”

The Indian community in Rwanda boasts more than 2,200 people, majority of whom are businesspeople.

The national carrier RwandAir operates four flights a week to Mumbai, making it one of its busiest routes.

PM Modi and President Xi are expected to attend the BRICS Summit comprised of emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in Johannesburg this week.

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