The MoU was signed on July 28, between Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger and co-chair of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, and Dr. Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, the Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, on the sidelines of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS+4) in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
Dr. Bagabe welcomed the deal as a great milestone in bilateral cooperation. “Today is an important moment in our relations with Brazil. We are consolidating our partnerships in agricultural extension and technology transfer,” he noted.
The signed agreement includes a wide range of joint initiatives aimed at promoting resilient agriculture, strengthening public policies, and expanding access to inputs, technologies, and water for agricultural production in both countries.
Wellington Dias also celebrated the agreement with Rwanda and the current situation in Brazil.
“We are delighted that we are advancing in this partnership. We celebrate this new stage and will work towards positive results in the future. We are working to ensure the eradication of hunger and poverty and are exchanging experiences between the two countries,” he said.
The Brazilian minister explained that the signing of the memorandum and Rwanda’s commitment to the Accelerated Implementation Plan, within the framework of the Global Alliance, represent a strategic opportunity to advance the goals of eradicating hunger and poverty.
“We will motivate our technical teams to begin implementing activities as soon as possible to achieve concrete results, demonstrating the effectiveness of South-South cooperation,” he emphasized.
Wellington emphasized how these initiatives will benefit development in Rwanda, which, along with Brazil, is one of the founding countries of the Global Alliance.
“Cooperation in small-scale agriculture is essential, but through the Global Alliance, we are also already advancing with Rwanda in the area of socioeconomic inclusion, both urban and rural,” he continued.
The diplomatic relations between Rwanda and Brazil began in 1981, and since then, the two countries have signed several cooperation agreements. For example, in 2019, they signed a Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) to facilitate air travel between the two nations.
In 2011, they also signed another agreement focused on cooperation for food security. Brazil is the world’s leading producer of coffee, soybeans, sugarcane, and oranges.
Since 2022, Rwanda has been importing wheat from Brazil after supplies from Ukraine significantly declined. Rwanda also regularly imports products such as sugar from Brazil.
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