Oman’s new envoy to Rwanda Nasra Bint Salim Bin Mohammed Al-Hashmi presented her credentials to President Kagame in July.
KIGALI — President Paul Kagame is expected in Oman on Monday for a two-day official visit as Rwanda and the Gulf state seek to turn a growing diplomatic relationship into deeper trade, investment and economic ties.
The September 7–8 visit comes after a series of agreements and high-level exchanges between the two countries, including new cooperation in aviation, logistics, digital technology and infrastructure.
Oman’s state news agency, ONA, announced the visit on Saturday, saying it is aimed at strengthening cooperation and opening “new horizons” for partnership between the two countries.
Kagame’s visit comes at a time when Rwanda-Oman relations are gaining momentum after decades of relatively limited engagement.
The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1982, with Oman currently accredited to Rwanda from its embassy in Nairobi and Rwanda representing its interests in Oman through its embassy in Cairo.
But the relationship has accelerated in the past two years.
In January, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe travelled to Oman with a delegation that included four other senior government officials, including the ministers responsible for ICT and innovation, finance and infrastructure, as well as the head of the Rwanda Development Board.
The visit produced agreements covering areas ranging from airports and logistics to data centres, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
One agreement brought together the Rwanda Development Board and Oman Airports Management Company to explore cooperation in airport development and management, exchange expertise and identify investment opportunities in aviation infrastructure.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate on logistics and inland ports, including the development and operation of dry ports and supply-chain services.
Another programme focuses on data centres, cloud computing, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
The push for closer economic ties has also been accompanied by a new air link.
Omani low-cost carrier SalamAir launched direct Muscat-Kigali flights in July, operating twice a week. The five-hour connection gives Rwanda a direct link with Oman and the wider Gulf region while making it easier for businesspeople, tourists and investors to travel between the two markets.
The two countries had already signed an Air Services Agreement in 2023, which entered into force in January 2026.
The new connectivity is expected to feature prominently in the broader effort to increase trade and investment.
Looking beyond trade
The relationship is also being built around sectors where both countries see room for expansion.
Oman and Rwanda have identified potential cooperation in energy, renewable energy, mining, logistics, airports, hospitality, healthcare, education and technology.
Omani companies have previously tested the Rwandan market.
In March 2020, more than 80 Omani companies participated in the Omani Products Exhibition in Kigali, showcasing products ranging from food and plastics to construction materials.
Two commercial agreements were signed during the exhibition, including one involving the marketing of Omani industrial products in Rwanda and another covering pharmaceutical products.
The countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on telecommunications and digital-economy development in April 2025, during Oman’s participation in the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence in Africa in Kigali.
The latest push therefore goes beyond traditional diplomatic relations.
For Rwanda, Oman offers a potential gateway into the Gulf and wider Middle Eastern markets, while Oman can tap into Rwanda’s position as an East African business and investment hub.
A relationship gaining speed
The political relationship has also remained active.
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi met Nduhungirehe in New York in September 2025 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
In July this year, Kagame received Oman’s newly accredited ambassador to Rwanda, Nasra Salim Al Hashmi, at a ceremony in Kigali. Kagame conveyed his greetings to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and expressed his wish for continued growth in relations between the two countries.
Earlier in August, Sultan Haitham sent Kagame a written message concerning bilateral relations, which was delivered by Ambassador Al Hashmi in Kigali.
The sequence of meetings, agreements and new transport links has now set the stage for Kagame’s visit.
The immediate focus is expected to be economic.
Rwanda is seeking to attract more investment, expand exports and strengthen its position as a regional logistics, tourism and technology hub. Oman, with its strategic location on the Arabian Peninsula and connections to Gulf and Asian markets, brings its own investment and trade interests.
The two sides are therefore looking at a relationship that is increasingly built around business as much as diplomacy.
Kagame’s visit will provide an opportunity to push that relationship to another level.
What began with diplomatic ties more than four decades ago is now developing into a broader partnership linking East Africa, the Gulf, aviation, technology, logistics and investment.
And with the first direct Muscat-Kigali flights already operating, some of that new relationship is no longer being discussed on paper. It is already in the air.
