Today in Lagos, President Kagame arrived for a two day visit where he is scheduled to have an interactive session with young Nigerian professionals and address the annual Spring Lecture held by the Oxbridge Club.
President Kagame began his first day in Lagos with a dinner hosted by Ambassador Joseph Habineza which brought together a dozen of Nigerian investors. With Rwanda and Nigeria enjoying friendly cooperation that extends in field of business, medicine and military training, this dinner aimed to provide investors the opportunity to learn more about Rwanda and opportunities for continued partnership. With the appointment of the first Nigerian Embassy to Rwanda and Rwanda Air’s plan to fly five to Lagos five times a week, the areas of cooperation across both nations are expected to expand.
The guests taking part in tonight’s dinner are leaders in sectors ranging from banking, aviation, law and construction. Keen to learn about potential for partnerships, many of the guests pointed to the leadership and business friendly environment as the primary reason for their interest in Rwanda.
Asked about his vision for Nigeria-Rwanda relations, Richard Mackerel, Chief Executive Officer of Airline Services and Logistics, said: “the way forward is dialogue, visiting each other’s countries, believing in each other and giving each other a chance to see what we can achieve as Africans together.”
“I will be opening a business in Rwanda soon,” he added.
President Kagame will spend Saturday morning in an interactive session with over 100 Nigerian Young Professionals eager to hear about his leadership experiences and will end the day with an address to the Oxbridge Club on the theme of “Leadership in Africa: Home-grown ideas, catalyst for global relevance and dignity. Founded over 25 years ago, members of the Oxbridge Club are former Oxford and Cambridge alumni whose aim is to encourage dialogue around social and economic issues relevant to Nigeria and Africa.
Both groups have recognized President Kagame as the leader of an unprecedented transformation of Rwanda and one whose leadership is an inspiration to many across the continent. Many of the young Nigerian professionals attending the event on Saturday morning voted for President Kagame for the Peace Personality of the Year Award presented by Miss University Africa Rorisang Molefe on 29th October of this year.