RWANDAN President Paul Kagame has urged African and Caribbean countries to work together outside of the usual international fora to push common positions and address the urgent issues which affect them.

Addressing a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament on Thursday, Kagame, whose country is the newest member of the Commonwealth of nations, stated, “Africa and the Caribbean do not have to relate to each other only through intermediates. Our diplomats tend to meet in New York, London or Geneva. I have no problem with that, but we could do it otherwise.”

It is time for Africa and the Caribbean to work together directly in a sustainable manner through regional organisations such as Caricom, the African Union, and bilaterally, Kagame told the chamber of politicians, State officials, diplomats and others.

“Let’s exchange with each other directly, and thereby honour the history that joins us, and make it a potent force for practical cooperation in the modern world,” he said.

The Rwandan leader arrived in the island on Wednesday for a three-day State visit which Prime Minister Andrew Holness had said last week was overdue. He said previous plans for the visit were averted due to the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Kagame noted that the first Africa-Caricom summit held last September should be built upon, and there should also be direct people-to-people exchanges, particularly among youth and entrepreneurs.

“In Rwanda we have already had several Jamaican professionals come to our country and make meaningful contributions, some of them as representatives of leading international organisations. This has only made us want to see more people from Jamaica and this region in Rwanda,” he said, adding that he wants closer cooperation with Jamaica in the areas of trade and investment, as well as national unity and citizen development.

There is speculation that Kagame’s visit is tied to Jamaica’s nomination of Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith for the post of Commonwealth secretary general, which is now held by Dominican-born Baroness Patricia Scotland. Holness has strongly denied this.

Rwanda will host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali in June. CHOGM, usually held every two years, has been postponed twice since 2020.

The Government says the purpose of Kagame’s visit is to deepen bilateral relations between Jamaica and the African country, and coincides with the island’s 60th anniversary of Independence this year.

Johnson Smith’s nomination caught Caricom off guard, following the March meeting of heads where is it was reported that there was an understanding that the region would support Scotland for re-election.

The move by Jamaica has spurred division among heads of the regional bloc, some of whom have described it as ill-advised. Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has described the nomination as a “monumental error” which, he said, will divide Caricom.

Speaking ahead of the president’s address to the House, Prime Minister Holness pointed to Jamaica’s more than 20 years of diplomatic ties with Rwanda, noting the two countries’ common interests of climate change and forging stronger regional relations, and the push for stronger alliance between Caricom and the African Union.

He stressed that the visit is a significant opportunity to deepen bilateral collaboration.

“Rwanda is a powerhouse of socio-economic development and advancement,” he said.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding also paid tribute to the African leader’s stewardship of the East African nation, noting his reputation as a visionary. Golding said Rwanda has set the standard for the modern development of post-colonial nations, and that its engagement and participation in organisations such as the East African community and the Commonwealth has resulted in the strengthening of partnerships between Africa and Caribbean nations.