{"id":2000131147,"date":"2026-11-03T10:17:36","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T08:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000131147"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:09:22","slug":"kagame-jamaica-pm-discuss-cooperation-in-health-defence-and-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kagame-jamaica-pm-discuss-cooperation-in-health-defence-and-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Kagame, Jamaica PM discuss cooperation in health, defence and tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a statement shared by the Office of the President on Monday night, the discussions focused on existing cooperation between the two countries and ways to expand collaboration in areas of mutual interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting builds on efforts by Rwanda and Jamaica to strengthen ties across diplomatic, economic and financial sectors, particularly following Kagame’s state visit to the Caribbean country in April 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the visit, the two governments signed memoranda of understanding establishing a Joint Commission on Cooperation and strengthening collaboration in tourism and product development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreements provide a framework for cooperation in areas including political consultations, trade, investment, culture and industrial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership has also extended to financial markets. In January 2026, the Rwanda Stock Exchange and the Jamaica Stock Exchange signed a memorandum of understanding to explore cross-border market development, exchange knowledge on digital trading systems and consider opportunities for companies to list on both exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two countries have also pursued cooperation in aviation and technical assistance, reflecting their broader interest in strengthening connections between Africa and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate meeting on the sidelines of CHOGM, Kagame met World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Presidency, the two discussed Rwanda’s ongoing partnership with the WTO and the importance of boosting regional trade and investment to achieve sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The engagement comes as Rwanda continues to advocate for stronger regional market integration and greater participation in international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the summit, Kagame also called for a shift in how investors assess risks in developing countries, arguing that perceptions of higher investment risks in the Global South can discourage capital from reaching viable projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking during a high-level panel alongside Holness and Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio\u02bbo, Kagame said investment risks exist in all markets and should not discourage investors from considering opportunities in developing economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are risks everywhere, whatever investments you want to make. So, if we could encourage more cooperation and understanding that risks are to be found everywhere, but there are ways to mitigate those risks by putting resources together, coming together and working together, [\u2026] then there should be no obstacle to these investments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for governments and the private sector to work together to address barriers that prevent viable projects from accessing the resources and inputs they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame also urged investors to look beyond the size of individual countries and consider the wider regional markets in which projects operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is not just a small project in a small country, but rather a viable project in a growing market beyond the place where it is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 28th CHOGM is taking place in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, from November 1 to 4 under the theme \u201cAccelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The summit brings together Commonwealth leaders and other stakeholders to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation, expanding trade and attracting investment across member countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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President Paul Kagame and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness met on the sidelines of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation in health, defence and tourism as Rwanda and Jamaica seek to deepen longstanding bilateral relations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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President Kagame met WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss regional trade and investment at CHOGM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

President Paul Kagame and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness discussed expanding cooperation in health, defence and tourism as Rwanda and Jamaica seek to deepen longstanding bilateral relations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000131153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000131147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","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":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","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":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000131153,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp-.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1280,"height":973,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp--150x150.jpeg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp--300x228.jpeg","width":300,"height":228},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp--768x584.jpeg","width":768,"height":584},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp--1024x778.jpeg","width":1024,"height":778},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/HWJjiwEWsAAeyp-.jpeg","width":1280,"height":973}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131147","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=2000131147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000131158,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131147\/revisions\/2000131158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000131153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000131147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000131147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000131147"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000131147"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000131147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}