President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame arrived in Paris, France on Thursday, October 3, to join other Heads of State and Government for the 19th Summit of La Francophonie.

Co-hosted by the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo, and French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit is expected to have a special focus on youth employment.

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Creativity, innovation, and the ability to do business in French will be the central focuses of the two-day event, according to the organizers.

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According to Village Urugwiro, the President and the First Lady will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Francophonie Summit in Villers-Cotterêts, a town 80 km north-east of Paris where French was declared the official language of France in 1539, replacing Latin.

Later in the evening of October 4, they will join other dignitaries for a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron at the Élysée Palace.

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Kagame is also expected to attend a closed roundtable session on "Renewed Multilateralism” chaired by President Macron, followed by a closed-door session.

The summit will conclude with the adoption of the Villers-Cotterêts Declaration.

President Kagame’s visit to Paris comes at a time when both countries’ relations "continue to grow particularly highlighting the growing cooperation through the work of the French Development Agency."

The French Development Agency (AFD) has been financing numerous projects in Rwanda since 2021, especially in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in renewable energies and digital transformation.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Internation Cooperation, Rwanda-France bilateral relations have improved through bilateral agreements, such as a double tax avoidance agreement signed in June 2023 to support trade and investment between the two countries.

Earlier this year, both countries also agreed on new defense cooperation, among other agreements.