Speaking on Thursday, August 28, 2025, during a business forum with Rwanda's private sector, President Chapo shared that his journey to Kigali required a stopover in Addis Ababa, describing the detour as unnecessary and a hindrance to closer cooperation.
The meeting, organized by the Rwanda Development Board, aimed to explore new avenues for investment and strengthen collaboration between the two countries.
Chapo praised President Paul Kagame for the invitation to Rwanda and commended the role of Rwandan troops in helping to restore peace in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado Province, urging business leaders to build on that achievement.
He noted that Mozambique has vast fertile land that can feed Rwanda and beyond, as well as opportunities in energy, maritime resources, and industry. He encouraged Rwandan investors to consider Mozambique as a destination for investment.
Using his own travel experience to illustrate Africa's air transport challenges, President Chapo explained that he had passed through Addis Ababa before landing in Kigali.
He revealed that he had already raised the issue with President Kagame, proposing the establishment of direct flights between the two capitals.
'We face challenges in connecting our countries through air travel. To get here, we first had to pass through Addis Ababa before coming to Kigali. The other possible option was to go through Johannesburg. Yesterday, I told my counterpart, President Kagame, that we need to establish direct flights linking Maputo and Kigali,' he noted.
At present, airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways operate on the route (Kigali-Maputo), but passengers are forced to connect through other cities.
President Chapo began his state visit to Rwanda on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, holding talks with President Kagame and visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
The first day was also marked by signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Mozambique's Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEX), signed by RDB Chief Executive Officer Jean-Guy Afrika and Mozambique's High Commissioner to Rwanda, Amade Miquidade.
The MoU aims to expand trade and investment in sectors like agriculture, tourism, and industry, building on prior frameworks to drive economic collaboration.
A second pact, a renewed Status of Forces Agreement on the Support to Fight Terrorism in Mozambique, was signed by Rwanda's Minister of Defence, Juvenal Marizamunda, and Mozambique's Minister of National Defence, Cristóvão Artur Chume.
The agreement extends Rwanda's military support in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, where Rwandan forces have been deployed since 2021 to combat Islamist insurgents.
Relations between Rwanda and Mozambique date back to 1990 and gained renewed momentum in 2018 with the creation of a Joint Cooperation Commission.
IGIHE
