Kampala to host 12th session of Uganda-Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission
The three-day (April 20-22) sessions at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, are coordinated by MoFA in partnership with the Uganda High Commission in Kigali. A source at the ministry stated that the bilateral, sequential meetings will take place at the technical and senior official levels.
John Mulimba, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, who will also be the Principal Signatory for the Republic of Uganda. (Courtesy)
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is set to host the 12th Ordinary Session of the Uganda–Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission (JPC).
The multisectoral meeting is expected to bring together over 15 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and their corresponding equivalents from Rwanda.
The Kampala delegation will be led by John Mulimba, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation), who will also be the Principal Signatory for the Republic of Uganda. Dr Usta Kaitesi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, is head of the delegation from Rwanda.
The three-day (April 20-22) sessions at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, are coordinated by MoFA in partnership with the Uganda High Commission in Kigali. A source at the ministry stated that the bilateral, sequential meetings will take place at the technical and senior official levels.
At the final stage, ministers of both countries will have a closed session before adopting agreed outcomes and the signing of the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs).
Ambassador Richard Kabonero, Head of the Regional Economic Cooperation Department, in a press handout from MoFA, says the agenda prioritises cooperation in the strategic domains of Defence and Security, Transboundary Infrastructure Development, Migration Management and Police Cooperation; Education and Human Capital Development, among others.
"In accordance with the provisions of the JPC framework, Technical Officials will undertake a comprehensive review of the status of implementation of MoUs and Agreed Minutes concluded during the 11th Session held in Kigali in 2023. They will further conduct consultations with a view to identifying new areas of cooperation, bolstering trade and investment facilitation measures, and formulating modalities for joint development projects," reads the MoFA release.
According to Amb. Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Robert Rusoke, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kigali, describes Rwanda as a strategic trade and investment partner for Uganda and within the East African Community framework. Provisional data for September 2025 indicate Uganda’s monthly exports to Rwanda at $22.37 million, while Rwanda’s exports stood at approximately $1.2 million for the same period.
The composition of Uganda’s export basket to Rwanda comprises primary agricultural commodities, including pineapples, Irish potatoes, mangoes and sorghum, together with manufactured household goods, plastics, and construction materials. Conversely, Rwanda’s exports to Uganda consist principally of sugar, cement, maize flour, as well as other agricultural products, minerals, and other manufactured goods.
The MoFA brief about the importance of the 12th session of the Uganda-Rwanda JPC states that, "the convening of the 12th Session attests to the abiding fraternal relations subsisting between the two sister countries and reaffirms the unequivocal political will of both countries to institutionalise bilateral cooperation through structured mechanisms.
It also underscores collective resolve to advance implementation of agreed commitments, to leverage synergies in addressing transboundary priorities, and to catalyse shared prosperity in furtherance of the regional integration agenda and the broader aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063."