The Government of Egypt has secured a 10-hectare plot of land near Rwanda’s border with Tanzania to establish a logistics zone, a source confirmed on Tuesday, August 13. The agreement, part of a broader transport deal signed by the two countries on Monday, August 12, is expected to bolster trade and connectivity between Rwanda and Egypt. In 2017, the two countries committed to bolstering economic ties for the mutual benefit of their respective citizens. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Egypt ink deal to support modern heart centre in Kigali Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, presided over the signing ceremony, after chairing bilateral talks in Kigali. Badr Abdelatty led a delegation to Rwanda for President Kagame’s inauguration ceremony on Sunday, August 11. Speaking to The New Times in an exclusive interview, Nduhungirehe maintained that the logistics zone will be developed in collaboration with the Rwandan government, to enhance regional trade and economic cooperation. He pointed out that the area allocated for the “logistics hub” will be located near Rwanda’s border with Tanzania (Rusumo), in Kirehe District, a strategic area that will facilitate easier access for Egyptian companies to the Rwandan market. For context, the Egyptian government has been planning to set up a logistics corridor connecting Tanzania and Rwanda in a bid to facilitate the flow of “Egyptian exports to Africa.” The corridor was set to run from Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania and pass through a logistics zone and dry port, before reaching another logistics zone and dry port in Rwanda. It is not clear whether the new area allocated by Rwanda will act as the new corridor linking Egypt to the wider East African market. Nduhungirehe referred to the strong bilateral ties between both countries, highlighting areas of existing cooperation in culture, education, health, technology, and sports. He also stressed the significance of boosting investments and trade between Egypt and Rwanda, citing the signing of several memoranda of understanding in various sectors. According to the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics (UN COMTRADE) database on international trade, Egypt's exports to Rwanda were $67.32 million in 2023, while imports from Rwanda to Egypt were slightly over $437,000. The Egyptian minister welcomed Rwanda’s gesture of allocating land to his country, noting that the move will “exponentially” increase the presence of Egypt’s products on the Rwandan market. Nduhungirehe was not able to divulge details but confirmed that the Egyptian government, through his counterpart, also pledged to offer Rwanda a similar size of land. Rwandan and Egyptian officials on August 12 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the supply of medical equipment and devices for the MY Rwanda-Egypt Heart Care Centre, a state-of-the-art facility under construction in Kigali’s burgeoning medical hub in Masaka, Kicukiro District. The officials also discussed the progress of the $20 million project which is set to become a regional hub for healthcare services in central and eastern Africa. The Rwanda-Egypt partnership on the heart centre began in 2018 facilitated by renowned Egyptian Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery Sir Magdi Yacoub, a global figure in heart care. Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s eagerness to activate the African Medicines Agency and utilize Egyptian pharmaceutical sector expertise to support its administrative structure. The center, officials said, is set to be the first dedicated cardiac hospital in Rwanda and sub-Saharan Africa region.
