Rwanda
Bilateral relations between India and Rwanda have been cordial and have grown steadily over the years. India’s engagement with Rwanda is at three levels viz. at the African Union (AU) level, at level of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and at the bilateral level. India’s engagement with Rwanda has been consultative, response-based and focused on developing Rwandan capacities and human capital. Indian assistance to Rwanda has also been guided by the announcements made by India at the India-Africa Forum Summits in 2008, 2011, and 2015.
Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic
- India gifted 50,000 doses of Covidshield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to Rwanda in March 2021 and also provided 240000 doses of made in India vaccine under Covax facility.
Capacity Building & Other Exchanges
- India gifted 100,000 books of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) and provided support for digitalization and online access of education books and related learning material.
- India has contributed US $10,000 each to the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in Kigali and the Imbuto Foundation run by the First Lady of Rwanda towards the Foundation for the education of the girl child.
- Under the Pan Africa e-Network project, tele-medicine and tele-education centres were established in Rwanda in 2009 with an aim to enable Rwandan doctors consult their Indian counterparts, and ensure world-class medical consultation and treatment for patients and education for students.
- The Government of India offers scholarships and fellowships to Rwandans from the Government and private sector to enable them to pursue under-graduate, post-graduate and research courses in India under ITEC/SCAAP, ICCR and IAFS. Officers from the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) have also been availing of training slots in India. A MoU on cooperation in forensic sciences was signed between the Government of Rwanda and Gujarat Forensic Sciences University in January 2017. Under the MoU signed, several Rwandan officials have undergone training in the field of Forensic Science.
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- India has gifted 200 cows worth USD 200,000 to Rwandan Girinka programme, a social protection scheme of one cow - one family.
- Solar electrification of 35 schools in Rural Rwanda was completed in 2014 under a grant of Rs. 2.59 Crore from Government of India.
- In 2013, India had extended Line of Credits (LoC) totalling USD 120 million for the development of export targeted irrigated agriculture project and its expansion.
- A 28 MW hydroelectric project on the Nyabarongo River was completed and commissioned in early 2016 under a Government of India assisted LoC of USD 80 million. The project has substantially augmented Rwanda’s total electricity generation capacity.
- Since 2007, to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Government of India (GoI) has extended seven Lines of Credit (LOC) worth USD 547.65 million to the Government of Rwanda in the sectors such as agriculture, skill development, SEZ, hydropower, and irrigation. Out of the seven Lines of Credit (LOCs), projects under two credit lines worth USD 80 million have already been completed in the hydro power sector. The remaining projects under the five LOCs are under various stages of implementation.
- Medicines worth USD 2 million were gifted to Rwanda in early 2019 to fight against HIV AIDS, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
- India gifted another batch of HIV AIDS medicine in October 2021, worth Rs.1.2 crore.
