The Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed two memorandums of understanding and a land concession agreement in the agricultural field.
The agreements were part of a series made during Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s recent three-day state visit to Brazzaville.
According to reports, Congo will provide Rwanda 12,000 hectares of exploitable land in at least three Departments in the country’s south. The concession’s length, however, has not been specified.
Congo contains between 10 and 12 million hectares of arable land, but only about 5% is utilised for food crops.
According to a statement released on Tuesday in Brazzaville, the agriculture pact is one of eight agreed for the “widening and deepening of collaboration.”
Other agreements involve investment protection, mining, economic entity administration, and cultural links strengthening.
Rwanda and Congo have a friendly relationship. The expansion of bilateral ties is reflected by agreements signed in 2021 to eliminate double taxation and visa requirements in order to facilitate trade between the two countries. At the time, they also inked accords in the areas of military, education, and land management.
This development is coming barely one week after Kenya and DR Congo signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors.
The objectives of the agreement include promoting increased agricultural productivity in Kenya and DR Congo, encouraging joint investment ventures between respective private entrepreneurs as well as boosting mutually beneficial trade between the two countries.
Some of the key areas of cooperation covered by the agreement include crop development and promotion, agricultural and livestock research, animal health and production.