The signing ceremony in Gaborone was witnessed by President Paul Kagame and his host, President Duma Boko, marking a high point of Kagame’s two-day state visit to the Southern African nation.

The newly signed agreements target the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to trade and travel between Rwanda and Botswana. Central to the deal is a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, alongside a Memorandum of Agreement on Visa Abolition for holders of diplomatic, official, and national passports to ease cross-border movement.

The cooperation further extends into social and economic sectors through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health and another on Economic, Trade, and Investment. To drive private sector growth, a strategic partnership was also established between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre.

President Kagame arrived in Gaborone on Wednesday morning. The visit commenced with a private tête-à-tête between the two heads of state, followed by expanded bilateral talks between their respective delegations. Both leaders later addressed a joint press conference to underscore the importance of the new partnerships.

The state visit is part of a broader diplomatic push, preceded by the Second Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) and the Second Rwanda–Botswana Business Forum.

On Wednesday evening, President Kagame will attend a State Banquet hosted in his honour by President Boko. The visit will continue Thursday with a tour of the Botswana Diamond Trading Company.