{"id":2000111419,"date":"2026-05-09T15:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000111419"},"modified":"2026-05-09T15:42:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T13:42:57","slug":"europe-day-in-kigali-highlights-over-e1bn-eu-investment-in-rwanda-and-growing-strategic-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/europe-day-in-kigali-highlights-over-e1bn-eu-investment-in-rwanda-and-growing-strategic-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe Day in Kigali highlights over \u20ac1bn EU investment in Rwanda and growing strategic relations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Europe Day, celebrated annually on May 9, commemorates the Schuman Declaration of 1950, widely considered the foundation of the modern European Union. Proposed by then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in the aftermath of World War II, the declaration called for European countries to jointly manage coal and steel production, industries central to war-making at the time, in order to make future conflict between historic rivals \u201cmaterially impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The declaration laid the foundation for what would later become the European Union, a bloc built around peace, economic cooperation, shared prosperity, and political integration. This year\u2019s celebrations marked 76 years since the declaration and highlighted how those founding ideals continue to shape the EU\u2019s partnerships around the world, including with Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event, hosted by Ambassador Bel\u00e9n Calvo Uyarra at her residence in Kigali, reflected on the expanding political, economic, and development cooperation between Rwanda and the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The event highlighted the expanding political, economic, and development cooperation between Rwanda and the European Union.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Addressing guests, the envoy described the Schuman Declaration as \u201ca project for peace and shared prosperity,\u201d noting that its founding principles remain relevant amid rising geopolitical tensions and global uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a world of international disorder and coercive power politics, the EU stands strong for peace and prosperity, freedom and democracy, unity and diversity, partnerships and multilateralism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ambassador used the occasion, her final Europe Day celebration in Rwanda before the end of her diplomatic mission, to reflect on four years of EU-Rwanda cooperation, describing the partnership as one built on \u201ccontinuous open dialogue, respect, consistency and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed to major achievements under the partnership, including support for Rwanda\u2019s ambition to become a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing, youth employment initiatives, climate-smart agriculture, innovation, and infrastructure investment through the EU\u2019s Global Gateway strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ambassador Bel\u00e9n Calvo Uyarra used the occasion, her final Europe Day celebration in Rwanda before the end of her diplomatic mission, to reflect on four years of EU-Rwanda cooperation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the ambassador, Team Europe has invested more than \u20ac1 billion in Rwanda in recent years across sectors including health technology, smart cities, transport infrastructure, critical minerals, and environmental conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobal Gateway puts the private sector and investment at the heart of the partnership, aligning with Rwanda\u2019s vision to shift from aid to trade,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that more than 300 European businesses are currently operating in Rwanda, with over \u20ac1.4 billion in new European investment recorded over the past four years. Rwanda\u2019s exports to the European Union have also grown by 47 percent since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the flagship projects highlighted was the establishment of an ecosystem for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Rwanda, supported by European investment, including German biotechnology company BioNTech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat started during COVID as Rwanda\u2019s ambitious vision to manufacture vaccines has become an attractive ecosystem for quality pharmaceutical investment,\u201d the ambassador noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The celebrations also focused on regional peace and security, with the ambassador emphasising the EU\u2019s support for diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring stability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and dismantling the FDLR militia group, which was formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She welcomed ongoing peace initiatives, including the Doha Framework and African Union mediation efforts, while stressing the need for concrete progress on ceasefire implementation and regional trust-building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, praised the EU for its continued support to Rwanda\u2019s development agenda and described the partnership as increasingly dynamic and diversified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEurope Day offers us a valuable opportunity to celebrate the longstanding and dynamic partnership between Rwanda and the European Union,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, praised the EU for its continued support to Rwanda\u2019s development agenda and described the partnership as increasingly dynamic and diversified.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nduhungirehe commended the strengthened cooperation under the Global Gateway strategy and welcomed renewed investment worth \u20ac105 million to support Rwanda\u2019s ambitions in vaccine manufacturing and medical innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vaccine-manufacturing project has been hailed as a major step towards ensuring equitable access to vaccines and strengthening Africa\u2019s capacity to respond to future health emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nduhungirehe also reflected on the security dimension of the EU\u2013Rwanda partnership, describing it as a key pillar of bilateral cooperation alongside development and economic engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe EU has remained a trusted partner of Rwanda throughout our peacekeeping engagements and bilateral interventions around the continent. We hope to continue counting on your support as we get closer to achieving key priorities under the AU\u2019s Silencing the Guns agenda and the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister also praised Ambassador Bel\u00e9n Calvo Uyarra for her contribution to strengthening political dialogue and expanding cooperation during her tenure in Kigali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The event celebrated growing people-to-people relations between Rwanda and Europe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond diplomacy and investment, the event celebrated growing people-to-people relations between Rwanda and Europe through education exchanges, arts, sports, entrepreneurship, and youth innovation initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ambassador highlighted programmes such as Hanga Hubs and Aguka, developed in partnership with the Ministries of Youth and ICT as well as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which she said contributed to the creation of more than 100,000 jobs over the past two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also announced the creation of a youth sounding board aimed at involving young people more directly in shaping EU policies and partnerships in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet us continue working together, uniting in our pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow for Rwanda, Europe, Africa, and the world,\u201d the ambassador said as she invoked the philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasises humanity, interconnectedness, and collective responsibility, focusing on compassion, respect, and community over individual isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The colourful evening celebration featured performances by bands with a surprise appearance by Bruce Melodie, who has been working with the EU delegation on youth programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Celebrated Rwandan musician Bruce Melodie interacting with VIP guests at the event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, graced the celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nduhungirehe commended the strengthened cooperation under the Global Gateway strategy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Europe Day, celebrated annually on May 9, commemorates the Schuman Declaration of 1950, widely considered the foundation of the modern European Union.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The European Union Delegation to Rwanda on Friday hosted Europe Day 2026 celebrations in Kigali, bringing together government officials, diplomats, development partners, business leaders, and members of civil society to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration while reaffirming the growing strategic partnership between Rwanda and the European Union.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000111429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000111419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000111429,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1280,"height":914,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","width":150,"height":107},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","width":300,"height":214},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","width":768,"height":548},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","width":1024,"height":731},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-09-at-9.40.22-AM-1.jpeg","width":1280,"height":914}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000111419"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000111434,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111419\/revisions\/2000111434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000111429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000111419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000111419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000111419"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000111419"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000111419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}