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Macron-Kagame rapprochement boosts French business in Kigali

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“Finance and security, the main vehicles of Kagame's diplomacy”

RWANDA

Finance and security, the main vehicles of Kagame's diplomacy

For several years President Paul Kagame has been trying to strengthen Rwanda's position on the continental and international scene via two of the country's key sectors: finance and the army. The teams at Kigali International Financial Center (KIFC) have been travelling abroad more regularly, with a view to making the city Africa's financial hub. Meanwhile, the armed forces' emissaries are exporting Rwanda's military know-how. President Kagame has also being making the most of his connections beyond the continent, particularly those in Qatar, to position himself at the heart of the great game of nations.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in December 2021 in Paris. © Christophe Petit Tesson/EFE/EPA/MaxPPP

Buoyed by the Franco-Rwandan rapprochement, French entrepreneurs have been flocking to Kigali since late last year. They have formed a business club and launched a charm offensive in the land of a thousand hills. [...] (834 words)

Issue dated 07/07/2022 Reading time 4 minutes

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