Visiting Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Makram Mustafa Queisi, on Monday, February 19, stressed the need to enhance bilateral relations between Rwanda and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as part of the efforts to propel the tourism industries of both countries. Queisi is leading a delegation from Jordan on a four-day visit to Rwanda, during which he is expected to hold talks with senior government officials and members of the private sector to deliberate on “strategies of executing the recent cooperation agreements” signed during Jordan’s King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein three-day working visit to Rwanda in January. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Jordan sign economic, health deals For him, Rwanda is a land of contrasting diversity, which offers “more than one can take, while Jordan’s tourism sector is a popular success story.” ALSO READ: ‘Indifference is same as complicity’: Jordanian King Abdullah II on Genocide In an exclusive interview with The New Times’ Edwin Ashimwe, the Middle East nation’s tourism chief unpacked the ongoing talks to deepen bilateral ties, the need for connectivity, and promoting tourism. Excerpts: Briefly, take us through your four-day stay in Rwanda. We have witnessed a lot in this beautiful country. Since the time we arrived in Kigali, we felt the warmth of the people and their hospitality. Although we arrived on a Saturday, we were welcomed for dinner by the Governor of the Central Bank, and some colleagues from the tourism sector. So, we had fruitful discussions the minute we arrived and I was so happy to see the new ambassador designated to Amman, (Urujeni Bakuramutsa). We agreed on a series of steps to be taken and we agreed that we have to draft an MoU to list all the avenues of collaboration between Jordan and Rwanda. This will be accompanied later on by an executive programme that is practical and implementable. Needless to say, we’re here to translate the vision of His Majesty. He has been always adamant about advancing this relationship that we have already with Rwanda. We come from the same background in terms of focusing on human resource development as the main asset of the country. His Majesty enjoys a solid relationship, friendship even, with President Paul Kagame. So, we're just translating this vision into practical steps that will carry our bilateral relationship forward in a manner that would be beneficial for the people of Jordan and Rwanda. Your visit has been described as “exciting” for the tourism sectors of both Rwanda and Jordan. What have you discussed with your Rwandan counterparts as far as promoting tourism is concerned? Tourism as a sector is vital for the economy, not only in Jordan but also in Rwanda. And speaking of Jordan, my country, the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of the economy. It contributes to 15.6 per cent of the total GDP of the country. And it’s a vibrant sector. It generates employment. Today we employ more or less 60,000 direct employees in the sector. And if we speak about the indirect, we speak about at least triple the number of the direct employment. The revenue for 2023 was also considerable. We’re talking $7.2 billion of revenue. This is according to the Central Bank of Jordan. Also, the number of visitors that have visited Jordan in 2023 amounted to 6.3 million people. So, this is also a considerable number of visitors to a country like Jordan. What are the strengths and opportunities to tap into in Jordan’s tourism industry? Jordan is famous for its archaeological sites. Jordan is famous for its cuisine. Jordan is also famous for its culture and for the hospitality of the people. And this is where I speak about similarities between us (Rwanda and Jordan) in terms of geography, in terms of population, in terms of shared history, in terms of crises that have passed through the Jordanian land as well. Rwanda is an example of resilience and strength. And also, one of the major similarities that we have is that we have educated people. We have skilled labour. So, all of this will be ingredients for success for any country, for any nation. And regardless of the size of the country from a geographical perspective, regardless of the size of the population, we can be pioneers, we can be successful. We are unique because we succeeded, regardless of the turmoil in our regions. Your region is not as stable as some other regions in the world, and the same applies to Jordan. We have been facing crises for the past decades. Jordan is widely recognised for its medical tourism potential. Is this an avenue in which you see Rwanda tapping into? Absolutely. Jordan is leading in health services in the region. The number of doctors in Jordan, compared to the population, is above the international standard and so is the number of nurses. The number of hospitals, be it military hospitals, be it government hospitals, be it private sector hospitals, is also huge, so we can benefit both from that. But we’re not here only to contribute to these sectors. We’re here to learn from your experiences. We see tidiness. We see cleanness. We see discipline. We see a change of mind-set in Rwanda, and this is something that we need to learn from. We see the dedication in the country. We see the rule of law being applied. Any chance you specifically talked about Rwanda tapping into the medical tourism sector of Jordan? We had talks about it. I mean, I can speak on behalf of the medical sector in Jordan in terms of medical tourism. But when it comes to training doctors, I can assure you that I will carry the message with me to the Minister of Health, who is a professional doctor with immense experience. I am sure he will be extremely receptive. I think Jordanian doctors can contribute a lot to the training of their colleagues here in Rwanda. The first open heart surgery in Jordan was conducted back in 1970. The first kidney transplant was conducted back in 1972. The first heart transplant was conducted in Jordan back in 1985. The first bone marrow transplant was conducted as well in Jordan in the 1980s. So, we have a lot to offer, and we have invested a lot in the human capital in Jordan because we understand that a country with no natural resources has to focus on human capital development. And we have done that. I believe that once allowed to come to Rwanda and maybe run a few hospitals, 10, or 15 years down the road, you will have human capital that you can export to the nearby countries. And I can see that Rwanda is positioned as a medical hub in the region. What can Rwanda offer? You have natural resources. You have wildlife. So, these experiences that you have, in the wildlife and the natural reserves, are something that we don't have. In archaeology, we have a lot to offer. All these we can learn from Rwanda. For us, archaeology is a field that we have been excellent at. We have experience for 100 years of excavation and restoration. And this is something that we can work together to benefit from. Of what importance do you see connectivity playing a role in realising this effort? Connectivity is very important, but at the end of the day, if you speak about direct air links, it has to be studied. Because this is commercial. And these are private airlines. So, if you speak about RwandAir and you speak about the Jordanian airlines, they need to conduct studies that make it feasible for them and commercially viable. Beyond tourism, how would you describe the current bilateral ties between Rwanda and Jordan? We already have a strong partnership when it comes to security apparatus collaboration. And we have started dialogue and political consultations. This was step number one. Step number two was the strategic dialogue that we started. And I know that the foreign minister of Jordan led the team with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the commander of the Jordanian army, and the director of the intelligence department, to start this important process, which we term strategic dialogue. And I know that His Majesty was here just a few weeks ago, during which he conducted a bilateral visit that was very successful. Your parting shot? There are many things that maybe you take for granted as Rwandans. But we, as visitors, and this is my first visit, I'm sure it will not be the last, we look at the people in the streets, we see people who understand that this country is on the right path, and everybody has a share in this. We know that there is, as we said, wise leadership. But wise leadership without a disciplined population, without dedicated and serious people, will not succeed. So it takes leadership and people to do this job and to make a difference.
