Rwanda and Zimbabwe have strengthened their bilateral ties with the signature of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for corporation in various fields. The MoUs entail deals for the establishment of a joint permanent commission on cooperation between both countries; partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and Zimbabwe Trade Cooperation in the field of media, information and publicity; as well as cooperation in the field of correctional services and mutual legal assistance on criminal matters. The agreements were signed in a virtual session co-chaired by Dr. Vincent Biruta, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and July Moyo, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and Public Works. Speaking about the agreements, Moyo said they will serve to strengthen and broaden the scope of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.” Zeroing-in on the deal between RDB and the Zimbabwe Trade Corporation, he said: “I am particularly pleased to note that Zimbabwe and Rwanda’s trade and investment promotion organisations: ZimTrade (Zimbabwe Trade Corporation) and the Rwanda Development Board respectively have also today signed their MoU, whose overall objective is to promote mutually beneficial trade and investment between the two countries,” he said. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said the MoU on Cooperation in the area of media cooperation was a milestone in enhancing bilateral relations between Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The two countries are expected to hold the Rwanda-Zimbabwe Investment and Trade Conference that will explore opportunities to further economic cooperation and unpack all the available trade and investment opportunities between Zimbabwe and Rwanda. The conference was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is now expected to be held in Kigali in July this year. Close to a hundred Zimbabwean businesses have signed up to attend the conference. It is understood that more MoUs between both countries are still under negotiation, and these include those in the agriculture and livestock development, cooperation in the field of information and communication technologies and e-Government, and cooperation in field of higher and tertiary education, science and technology development, among others.
