India–Rwanda relations
India |
Rwanda |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
High Commission of India, Kigali | High Commission of Rwanda, New Delhi |
Envoy | |
High Commissioner Oscar Kerketta[1] | High Commissioner Jacqueline Mukangira |
India–Rwanda relations are the foreign relations between the
History
High level visits
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has visited India five times including 3 private visits and 2 state visits. He made his first visit in December 2002 to receive an honorary doctorate from the Vellore Institute of Technology. He made his second visit in January 2009 to participate as the chief guest at the India-Africa Business Forum organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry. Kagame visited New Delhi again in November 2014 to participate in the India Economic Forum, and also met with President Pranab Mukherjee during the visit. Kagame visited Gandhinagar, Gujarat in January 2017 to attend the Vibrant Gujarat summit, and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit. Kagame visited Delhi on 9-12 March 2018 to participate in the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance.[3]
During Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari's 5-day visit to Rwanda in February 2017, the two countries signed agreements to set up an entrepreneurship development centre in Kigali, begin RwandAir flights to India, and mutually exempt visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders.[4][5] Ansari also met with President Kagame, Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, and President of the Rwandan Senate Bernard Makuza. Makuza visited India in July 2018, met with Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and signed an MoU for cooperation between the Senate and the Rajya Sabha.[3]
Narendra Modi became the first
Economic relations
Bilateral trade totaled US$140.96 million in 2020-21. India made $134.29 million worth of exports and $6.67 million worth of imports from Rwanda. The main commodities exported by India to Rwanda are electrical and mechanical machinery, pharmaceuticals and vehicles. The major commodities imported by India from Rwanda are metallic articles (aluminum, lead and copper), precious and semi-precious stones, tea and coffee.[3]
The Rwandan High Commissioner to India stated that in the year 2011 alone, projects by Indian entrepreneurs worth over US$200 million were registered in Rwanda. He further stated that other projects by Indian entrepreneurs valued at over US$1.0 billion are in the pipeline.[6]
Kigali has increasingly been viewed by Indian organizations as a suitable location to host conferences. An Indian think tank, the Observer Research Foundation, organized the Kigali Global Dialogue in July 2019. In August 2019, the Telecom Equipments and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) organized the India-Africa ICT Expo2019 in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda in Kigali. The second India-Africa ICT Expo 2020 was conducted virtually (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with the support of Government of Rwanda in December 2020.[3]
Development assistance
Under the
At the first
A 28 MW
In early 2019, India gifted medicines worth US$2 million to help Rwanda fight against
The Government of India offers scholarships and fellowships to Rwandan citizens to pursue under-graduate, post-graduate and research courses in India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), the Special Commonwealth African Assistance Plan (SCAAP), and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Some Rwanda Defence Force officers have availed training slots in India.[3]
Indians in Rwanda
There were around 3,000 Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) in Rwanda as of July 2021.[3] Rwanda's only sugar refinery and its only modern textile mill are both owned by PIOs.[3]
The Indian Association of Rwanda, founded in 2011, is the primary Indian cultural organisation in Rwanda.[12]
No Indian citizens were killed or injured during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The Indian Government was able to evacuate its citizens from Rwanda to Bujumbura, Burundi and Nairobi, Kenya without any interference from either Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) or Rwandan Government forces.[3]
References
- ^ "High Commissioner". High Commission of India, Kigali. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Oscar Kerketta appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Rwanda". Ministry of External Affairs. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "India-Rwanda Bilateral Relations" (PDF). Ministry of External Affairs. Embassy of India, Kigali. July 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "India and Rwanda sign MoUs in innovation, aviation, visa". dna. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "India, Rwanda Sign Three Agreements To Boost Bilateral Relations". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Rwanda courts India support for UNSC seat". The New Times. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Bharti Airtel Rwanda entry seen spurring price war". Reuters. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Airtel launches mobile services in Rwanda". The Economic Times. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ Aulakh, Gulveen (30 December 2017). "Bharti Airtel signs agreement to buy Millicom's operations in Rwanda". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ Pandey, Navadha (19 December 2017). "Airtel's Rwanda unit to buy Millicom subsidiary Tigo Rwanda". mint. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ Kurup, Rajesh (19 December 2017). "Bharti Airtel to acquire Millicom's operations in Rwanda". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "India to open embassy in Kigali". The New Times | Rwanda. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2021.