The Rwandan President is expected on an official visit to Benin in April 2023. In Cotonou, Paul Kagame and President Patrice Talon will discuss cooperation issues between Benin and Rwanda.
The exact date of the Rwandan Head of State’s visit is not yet known, but Paul Kagame and Patrice Talon will have several topics of interest to discuss together.
Economy and defense
It will be economic but also military issues, advances the pan-African media Jeune Afrique which revealed the information. The question of commercial aviation will be at the heart of the exchanges, Cotonou being the West African hub of the national company Rwandair.
The other subject which will be on the menu of the exchanges of the two Heads of State is military cooperation in the fight against terrorism which affects the north of Benin. At the end of 2022, the spokesperson for the Beninese government had confirmed ongoing discussions with Rwanda for logistical support in the military struggle. Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji had also specified that the agreement under discussion did not provide for the deployment of Rwandan soldiers in Benin.
Honeymoon
Since President Patrice Talon came to power, Benin has maintained good relations with Rwanda. Indeed, the Beninese president has a particular admiration for the country often cited as an example in several areas. If the Beninese head of state has already visited Kigali in August 2016, his Rwandan counterpart had not yet set foot on Beninese soil since then.
The April visit will mark a new stage in the consolidation of ties between the two countries. It will also take place a few months after the appointment of a Rwandan national to head the National Agency for the Identification of Persons (ANIP) and another to head the National Agency for Land Transport (ANATT).
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