Rwanda and Botswana are seeking to fast-track the implementation of bilateral agreements ahead of President Paul Kagame’s state visit to Gaborone this week.

This was highlighted at the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Second Session of the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC), held Monday, May 5, in Gaborone and co-chaired by Rwanda’s Ambassador James Musoni and Botswana’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Relations, Ambassador Thuso Goodson Ramodimoosi.

In a post on LinkedIn, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the meeting “reviewed the outcomes of the Senior Officials’ Meeting and prepared for the ministerial session scheduled for tomorrow.”

The ministry added that Amb Musoni “encouraged the senior officials to adopt a results-oriented approach, with clear, actionable recommendations and realistic timelines for implementation of Agreements/MoUs.”

President Kagame is expected in Botswana from May 6 to 7 at the invitation of President Duma Gideon Boko. The visit is expected to further deepen bilateral relations between Kigali and Gaborone.

The state visit is expected to focus on strengthening economic cooperation in strategic sectors including digital trade, tourism, transport connectivity, animal vaccines, and collaboration in the diamond value chain.

Several agreements are also expected to be signed, including those on trade and investment cooperation, institutional collaboration between Rwanda Development Board and Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, as well as a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement aimed at facilitating business and investment flows.

The Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation serves as the main framework for structured bilateral engagement between the two countries.

Relations between Rwanda and Botswana have expanded steadily in recent years across sectors such as trade, tourism, health, mining and security.

The cooperation framework traces back to Kagame’s 2019 visit to Botswana, during which both countries agreed to establish the commission as a mechanism for sustained engagement and follow-through on shared priorities.