President Paul Kagame is pushing for a new era of Africa–Europe cooperation built on equality, mutual benefit, and shared responsibility — not one defined by conditionalities and dependency.
Speaking at the Global Gateway Forum 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, Kagame said that while the world is undergoing profound economic and political shifts, both continents have a chance to forge “productive partnerships” that deliver real transformation.
“This forum has in a short time proven its worth by connecting ideas and resources, and turning them into real investment,” Kagame said, praising the European Union’s initiative as a “timely and necessary” platform for action.
The Head of State noted that the global landscape is changing rapidly, testing long-held assumptions about globalization and cooperation.
“The answer is not to retreat or turn inwards,” he said. “Our economies and security are intertwined in ways that cannot be reversed. The challenge is to make this integration equitable, so that the opportunities and the benefits of growth flow both ways.”
Kagame’s remarks were a subtle but pointed reflection on the imbalances that have long characterized Africa’s partnerships with the developed world.
He said that for cooperation to succeed, it must be grounded in fairness and shared vision — not in one-sided relationships.
“We are here to discuss partnerships,” Kagame said. “However, the term seems to mean different things to people. For some, it’s about giving instructions and setting conditions. For others, it means complying. Africa’s experience shows that this approach does not deliver the transformation that we need.”
Instead, he continued, genuine cooperation must create value, not dependency.
“A good partnership does not create dependency. It creates value. If you want to work with Africa, a true and lasting partnership must be equal, with shared risk and reward.”
Africa’s Priorities — and Europe’s Opportunities
Kagame laid out Africa’s key priorities clearly: infrastructure, technology, and industries that can help the continent trade competitively.
“For Europe,” he said, “the opportunity is equally evident. Africa offers a growing market, talent, and the natural resources essential for the green and digital transformation.”
According to Kagame, these mutual interests make this the right time to build lasting growth together.
“Our interests are aligned,” he said. “This is the right time to turn them into sustained, mutual growth.”
He emphasized that the Global Gateway — the European Union’s flagship investment strategy for global infrastructure — has the potential to make this vision a reality, provided it remains grounded in “consistency and pragmatism.”
Rwanda’s Vaccine Project as a Model
To illustrate what he called a “productive partnership”, Kagame cited the example of the BioNTech mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility being built in Kigali — the first of its kind in Africa.
“BioNTech’s first end-to-end mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa is taking shape, supported by the European Union through the Team Europe initiative,” he said. “This project is a milestone for regional vaccine production. It will reduce Africa’s import dependency and strengthen our ability to respond to future pandemics.”
The president said the Kigali project demonstrates the kind of collaboration that can yield benefits far beyond one country — an approach he described as “a good example of a productive partnership with ripple effects that extend far beyond a single country.”
Mobilizing Private Sector and Local Capacity
Kagame stressed that for such progress to be sustainable, financing must mobilize the private sector and strengthen local ecosystems.
He urged European and African partners to keep the focus on practical, high-impact collaboration that supports long-term growth.
“This is the spirit the Global Gateway should continue to promote,” he said, thanking the European Union for “championing this platform.”
“The work has begun, and we are making good progress,” Kagame added. “Rwanda will continue to do its part to ensure that these efforts translate into measurable impact.”
Positive Momentum
President Kagame in a chat with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Forum
Concluding his speech, Kagame echoed sentiments shared earlier by other leaders, including President João Lourenço of Angola, who currently chairs the African Union, as well as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Kagame said that, just as with Ramaphosa, he also felt the same “positive energy about business, investment, peace, and partnership” that had expressed at the forum.
He reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to deepening ties with Europe based on respect and shared ambition, not conditionality.
“We felt the positive energy about business, investment, peace, and partnership,” he said. “The work has begun — and we are making good progress.”
The annual Global Gateway Forum 2025 brings together European and African leaders, business executives, and international partners to discuss how to strengthen global connectivity, sustainable investment, and digital transformation.
For Kagame, the message was unmistakable: Africa wants partners, not patrons — and the measure of success will be in results, not rhetoric.
