Rwanda President, Paul Kagame, will arrive in Jamaica on Wednesday for a three-day State visit that Jamaica says represents an important opportunity for the deepening of bilateral relations between the countries.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister in Jamaica (OPM) said the visit will help to reinforce “the steadily burgeoning relationship between the African continent and the CARICOM region”.
The statement said the 64-year-old Kagame is expected to call on Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen, and will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and other government officials.
It said the visit which “comes during the year of Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence, represents an important opportunity for the deepening of bilateral relations between the countries”.
President Kagame, who took office in 2000, is Rwanda’s sixth president and according to the statement is “on a mandate to continue the stability and growth he brought to the country after the 1994 genocide where an estimated 800,000 people were killed.
“Under his leadership, Rwanda has seen unprecedented socio-economic and political progress, peace, stability, as well as social cohesion.”
Meanwhile, the Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs, Lisa Hanna, has welcomed Kagame’s visit, saying “his strategic policies have encouraged rapid economic growth and social stability in Rwanda.
“Furthermore, his steps have helped to strengthen the positive global impact of Africa in the eyes of the world. There’s much we can learn from his example,” said Hanna, adding that she hopes that Kagame will receive the highest accolade that can be extended to any head of government, the ‘Order of Excellence’ on behalf of the people of Jamaica.
“What is more, President Kagame’s purposeful resolve to use Rwanda’s membership within the Commonwealth to promote the values of peace, security, and equal opportunities for all, has been steadfast. We anticipate that his voice and activism will forge a new era of progress within the Commonwealth when he assumes the Chairmanship and increases the process of regional cooperation and integration, especially within the developing world,” said Hanna.
Jamaica has nominated its Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Kamina Johnson Smith for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General, challenging the incumbent, Dominica-born Baroness Patricia Scotland.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has termed Jamaica’s decision to enter the race as a “monumental error”.
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