ST. JOHN’S – President Paul Kagame has arrived in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, to attend the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2026), bringing together leaders from 56 member countries to discuss trade, investment and development cooperation.

The four-day summit, running from November 1 to 4, is being held under the theme, “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”

The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening economic partnerships, attracting investment and addressing shared development challenges, including climate change and the economic vulnerabilities facing small island states.

King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth, is attending alongside Queen Camilla, and is scheduled to host the traditional leaders summit and banquet on Tuesday.

The gathering also brings together government ministers and representatives from business, civil society and youth organisations.

Rwanda is represented at the ministerial level by Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, who joined other officials for the opening engagements.

Kagame’s participation comes four years after Rwanda hosted the Commonwealth summit in Kigali from June 20 to 25, 2022.

The 2022 meeting, which had been postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, brought together leaders and representatives from across the organisation under the theme, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.”

Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009, becoming the second country after Mozambique to enter the organisation without having been a former British colony.

The Antigua and Barbuda summit will conclude with a closed-door retreat of heads of government, where leaders are expected to discuss the Commonwealth’s future priorities and adopt a final communiqué.