Kagame meets Nigerian army chief to discuss defence ties
Rwandan President Paul Kagame meets Nigeria’s army chief to discuss defence cooperation and strengthening military relations between the two countries
President Paul Kagame has met with Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Waidi Shaibu, to discuss ways of strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries, as the Nigerian military chief continues a working visit to Rwanda.
The meeting took place at Urugwiro Village on Thursday, October 22, according to a post on X from the President’s office.
“This afternoon at Urugwiro Village, President Kagame received Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff who is in Rwanda on a working visit. They discussed ways forward to deepen existing defence cooperation between Rwanda and Nigeria,” the post stated.
Shaibu arrived in Rwanda on Sunday, October 18, for a five-day official visit aimed at strengthening military ties between the two countries.
Earlier in the week, he visited Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) headquarters in Kigali, where he paid a courtesy call on Chief of Defence Staff Gen Mubarakh Muganga and held bilateral talks with RDF Army Chief of Staff Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi.
During the discussions, Shaibu said the two countries had committed to implementing existing memoranda of understanding covering military training, the exchange of directing staff and logistics personnel.
The discussions also covered defence and security developments of mutual interest to Rwanda and Nigeria.
On Wednesday, October 21, Shaibu visited the Rwanda Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation (REMCO) in Kigali, where he was briefed on the company’s defence manufacturing capabilities.
Established in 2018, REMCO is a state-owned firm specialising in engineering, metal casting, fabrication and the production of machinery, equipment and spare parts.
During the visit, he called for greater African investment in local defence manufacturing to reduce dependence on foreign military equipment.
The Nigerian army chief’s visit also included a tour of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where he paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He also visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum to learn about the Genocide and Rwanda’s recovery journey.
The visit comes as both countries seek to deepen existing military cooperation, particularly in training, personnel exchanges and defence-related expertise.
