President Paul Kagame and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have challenged the private sectors of the two countries to make the most of the ties between the countries.

The two leaders were speaking at the Rwanda-India Business Forum, yesterday, which convened business community from the two countries to explore trade and investment opportunities.

Modi has been on a two-day state visit to Rwanda.

Speaking at the summit, Kagame said that there is already a link and access between the two countries through Rwanda’s national carrier flights to Mumbai as well as the visa-on-arrival policy in Rwanda.

Kagame assured the business community of Rwanda’s commitment to address any bottleneck to private sector cooperation that may arise.

"All Indian citizens are eligible to receive a visa on arrival in Rwanda. Should there be any obstacle in the way, just let us know,” he said.

The President said that Rwanda was ready to make the most of the existing warm ties between the two nations in order to achieve rapid socio-economic progress.

Rwanda is keen on learning lessons from the ‘Make in India’ initiative, particularly in manufacturing, construction and ICT sectors, as the country seeks to boost product and increase consumption of local goods,” he said.

The Indian premier said that there are numerous opportunities for the private sector to exploit ranging from rural development to small-scale industries.  

"Our nations can do a lot together. There are several opportunities in rural development and small-scale industries,” Modi said.

Modi was accompanied by about 100 industry captains from various fields who sought to explore opportunities for trade and economic partnership.

Investment projects from India to Rwanda increased from 66 last year to 91 this year with a special focus on ICT, manufacturing and agro-processing.

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