ASTANA – Rwanda sees growing value in building ties with emerging middle powers like Kazakhstan, said Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in an interview with The Astana Times on the sidelines of the Astana International Forum (AIF).
Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs. Photo credit: AIF press service
In May, Rwandan President Paul Kagame made his second official visit to Kazakhstan, marking a decade since his last trip in 2015. The visit contributed to drawing closer the African nations to Kazakhstan.
“For the past 65 years, I would say, Rwanda and most African countries had relations and trade relations with what we call the traditional partners – Western Europe, the former colonial powers, the United States, China – those big blocks. But now we understand that there are middle emerging powers, like Kazakhstan, that are the center of Eurasia – they are rich in minerals, in agriculture, and rich in industry. That is important for Rwanda and for Africa,” said Nduhungirehe.
Six prospective cooperation fields
On the sidelines of the visit of the Rwandan President to Kazakhstan, the two countries signed six agreements that will allow for increased cooperation in key sectors, including political consultations, information and communication technology (ICT), finance cooperation, agriculture, education, and mining.
“We believe that those are the foundation for good cooperation. The President yesterday also agreed to establish a business council between Kazakhstan and Rwanda, and to have diplomatic presence in our respective capitals,” said Nduhungirehe.
“Beyond the bilateral discussions, there was also a visit to the [National] Space Center, which is also important, because we want to position ourselves in that sector. Rwanda is a country that has been doing well in innovation, in digitalization. We now have more than 7,000 kilometers of fiber optics which enables us to cover 95% of the country with the connection,” he added.
The arrangements are also believed to pave the way for cooperation in digitalization, with both countries having extensive expertise to share.
“We are also well advanced in the e-government, and we know that Kazakhstan is also strong in that. The Minister of Foreign Affairs told me that 94% of services are delivered through service apps on the phone, so we can learn from each other,” said Nduhungirehe.
The agreements also aim to increase trade between the two countries, which now stands at around $1 billion.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (R) duirng the interview with The Astana Times correspondent Aibarshyn Akhmetkali. Photo credit: The Astana Times
“You will also have the Trans-Afghan route that will go down through Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan with access to Pakistan, and also Oman in the south, and to the Indian Ocean, which will be easier to connect Kazakhstan to Africa. The trade between Kazakhstan and Africa is still low. I think it’s $1 billion. (…) So 1 billion for a continent of 1.3 billion people is still low, but it is steadily increasing,” said Nduhungirehe.
“We are hopeful that with the fact that Kazakhstan is now a middle power, an emerging power, that African countries are now more interested in investing in Kazakhstan, in having trade partnership with Kazakhstan. I think that in the coming 5-10 years we will have really strong relations and more trade and investment between the two countries and between Kazakhstan and Africa,” he added.
Rwanda exports coffee and tea to Kazakhstan, with strong potential to expand into mineral exports. President Kagame also emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in the agriculture and education sectors.
In addition to trade and investment, Rwanda and Kazakhstan will expand cooperation on political consultation.
“When I discuss with my colleague, [Kazakh] Minister of Foreign Affairs, we understand that we agree on many international issues. So it’s important, now that we have signed the agreement on political consultations, to hold regular meetings between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs to consult on issues of war, conflicts, peace and security, and global trade,” said Nduhungirehe.
“Today we are kind of in a crisis in terms of global trade and tariffs, and also climate change and free movement of people. So those are important issues that we’ll continue discussing with countries like Kazakhstan, but also other countries of Central Asia,” he added.
