Premier Lee arrived in Rwanda last week to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 which drew to the end over the weekend.
During his stay in Rwanda, Lee Hsien Loong also met with Singaporeans living in Rwanda.
Pictures posted on Facebook shows him with Singaporeans including Lam Shumei running a poultry farming project and Suzanna Seng, a pilot working with RwandAir since 2018 and Rohan who arrived in Rwanda this year.
He also posted pictures touring Kimironko market.
It is the first time a Prime Minister of Singapore visits Africa after the country obtained Independence.
Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore who also served as the Prime Minister visited Africa in 1964 when the country was part of Malysia.
At the time, he visited 15 African countries in 35 days.
On 9th August 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign state.
The separation was the result of deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of Singapore and Malaysia, which created communal tensions that resulted in racial riots in July and September 1964.
After its Independence in 1965, there has been no visit of the country’s Prime Minister to Africa.
As he addressed members of the press on his visit to Rwanda, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who has been leading the country since 2004 said: “This is my first official visit to an African country. It has been a very meaningful one and I am very glad that CHOGM has created an opportunity for me to meet my counterparts in Africa face to face to exchange views and perspectives of each other.”
Lee also said that he is deeply appreciative that he had a chance to learn more about Rwanda and to further our friendship and bilateral cooperation.
“I have only visited Rwanda and in Rwanda, I have visited Kigali. But from all that I have read about Rwanda and Africa, it is a continent on the move. It is an enormous continent with a huge population, it is very diverse, the countries have a huge rage of economic situations and political environments.”
Lee, 70, said that Rwanda is among the diverse countries on a good move.
“I have spent these last few days in Rwanda, I have had chance to go around, I went to the market yesterday, I visited a wetland sanctuary for grey crown cranes and met with Singaporeans who are living and working in Africa and many of them now in Kigali for some years. So, I have a feel of the place a little bit,” he said.
“It is on the move, it is anxious to get ahead, it had a traumatic past in the Genocide. I visited Kigali Memorial this morning and it is determined to pick itself up beyond that to reconcile the heart, move forward and see hope for the future,” added Lee.
He said that Rwanda is a country with young population making the majority with the median age of 22 while the age is above 40 in his country.
Lee highlighted he gets the scent for desire to make progress to succeed and make a better future for the people.
He said that there are many opportunities with partners where his country can do a lot more with Rwanda.
Figures show that Singaporean investment in Rwanda stands at US$150 million.
President Kagame has said that he very productive discussions with the Prime Minister of Singapore and thanked the country for being a reliable partner with Rwanda and expressed optimism that both countries will be doing even more together, in the years ahead.
“We value highly the trade and investment links as well as the cooperation between our central banks. Both our countries have created a strong foundation. Singapore’s development model and its commitment to social cohesion and national unity are very impressive,” he said.
Rwanda and Singapore have also committed to stronger ties in trade and investment.
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