Botswana and Rwanda have signed six bilateral agreements aimed at removing long‑standing barriers to trade, investment and people‑to‑people movement following talks between Presidents Duma Boko and Paul Kagame in Gaboron.
The agreements cover double taxation avoidance, visa abolition, health cooperation, and expanded economic and investment collaboration.
Boko said Kagame’s visit reaffirmed the countries’ strategic alignment and marked a decisive step toward deepening economic integration.
He urged officials from both governments to move quickly on implementation and confirmed that the visa‑free travel agreement takes immediate effect, with Rwanda already applying it and Botswana now following suit.
Kagame said the two nations share “a true sense of purpose,” adding that the new agreements are designed to eliminate obstacles that have slowed cooperation.
He praised Botswana’s management of its natural resources, particularly diamonds, saying the country had demonstrated how mineral wealth can be used to benefit citizens.
The signing ceremony forms part of Kagame’s latest working visit to Botswana, which began earlier this week and included a tour of the Diamond Trading Company Botswana.
The trip builds on a growing partnership anchored in the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation, established in Kigali in 2019 to coordinate collaboration in trade, governance, education, technology and investment.
Both leaders said the new agreements signal a shift toward more practical cooperation, with Boko describing the visit as “very fruitful” and noting that ministers had been instructed to translate the commitments into concrete outcomes.
AP
