President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire for a two-day state visit.

The visit follows a three-day visit to Rwanda by the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in April this year.

Kagame’s visit is aimed at further strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.

During the first day of the visit, Kagame held talks with his Ivorian counterpart followed by a bilateral meeting and signing of agreements.

The deals signed last evening include an agreement on the exemption from visa requirement, an MoU on the organisation of the Joint Commission for Cooperation and one on political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries.

The other deal signed was the protocol of Cooperation for the modernisation of the public administration.

The day ended with a State Banquet hosted in honour of President Kagame and the First Lady, President Kagame was awarded the Grand-Croix de l’Ordre National de Côte d’Ivoire and Grade de Commandeur de l’Ordre National de Côte d’Ivoire respectively.

The two titles are among the highest honours in the West African country.

On the second day of the visit, President Kagame will interact with business leaders in Cote d’Ivoire on issues related to free trade, industrialisation as well as share Rwanda’s experience in creating a favourable business environment.

Kagame, who is the current Chairperson of the African Union, has been a strong advocate for intra-African trade and partnership among countries.

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