President Kagame won the presidential election held on July 14-15, 2024, with 99.18% of the vote, defeating Dr. Frank Habineza of the Green Party, who received 0.50%, and Philippe Mpayimana, who garnered 0.32%.
Following the election victory, Sheikh Mohamed joined other world leaders in extending his wishes for President Kagame's continued success in advancing Rwanda's development. He acknowledged Rwanda's remarkable progress in lifting its citizens out of poverty over the past 30 years.
In a phone conversation, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed his best wishes for President Paul Kagame's success in leading his nation and "fulfilling the aspirations of his people for development and prosperity."
He also underscored commitment to continue working with President Kagame in the coming period to strengthen UAE-Rwandan cooperation at various levels, benefiting both nations.
In response, President Kagame thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his message and reaffirmed his commitment to further deepen the existing cooperation.
'It was an honor and a pleasure to receive a congratulatory call from my brother and friend President HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and I thanked him for his very good wishes,' Kagame posted on his X handle.
'Rwanda remains committed to continue deepening the productive bilateral cooperation with the UAE, and I look forward to further strengthening key areas of partnership between our nations and our people,' he added.
The relationship between Rwanda and the UAE spans multiple sectors, including education, technology, trade, and agriculture. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $1.1 billion in 2023, a significant contribution largely driven by Rwanda's exports of vegetables and fruits.
Every week, Rwanda exports over 60 tons of vegetables and fruits to the UAE. In 2022, Rwanda exported goods worth $514.5 million to Dubai while importing goods valued at $143 million from the UAE.
This partnership has also facilitated the increase of exports to other Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
In March 2024, 26 Rwandan companies were registered to do business in Dubai, and 100 Rwandan companies were offering services through Dubuy.com, a platform by Dubai Port (DP) World that helps deliver products like coffee and tea.
DP World, an Emirati company, manages the Kigali Logistics Platform in Masaka, Kicukiro District, a dry port that stores imported and exported goods before distribution across the region.
RwandAir operats three weekly flights between Kigali and Sharjah, the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2022, a new initiative was launched to export Hass avocados via sea, strengthening the trade relationship between the two nations even further.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/uae-president-congratulates-kagame-on-re-election
