A high-level Rwandan government and private-sector delegation is in Brazil from August 17–21, 2026, seeking to deepen trade and investment ties while building new partnerships in innovation, skills development and business.
Led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Chantal Tuyishimire, alongside Rwanda’s Ambassador to Brazil, Lawrence Manzi, the delegation is holding engagements with government officials, business leaders, investors and institutions in Brasília, São Paulo and Santa Catarina.
The mission is designed to create practical business opportunities through Government-to-Government and Business-to-Business engagements, with priority areas including advanced agriculture, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, education, ICT and innovation.
In Brasília and Santa Catarina, the Rwandan delegation has explored opportunities for cooperation in agricultural research and innovation while facilitating direct discussions between Rwandan and Brazilian businesses.
A major milestone of the mission was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Rwanda Polytechnic and Fecomércio Santa Catarina, aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education and training, professional skills development, innovation, technology and links between education institutions and the private sector.
The agreement is expected to contribute to the development of practical skills that respond to labour-market needs while creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration between Rwanda and Brazil.
The mission also reflects Rwanda’s broader strategy of using international economic partnerships to attract investment, expand markets for Rwandan businesses and accelerate technology and knowledge transfer.
Speaking on the importance of the engagement, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Brazil, Lawrence Manzi, has emphasised the role of the two countries’ diplomatic and economic ties in creating practical opportunities for both sides.
Rwanda and Brazil established diplomatic relations in 1981, while both countries opened embassies in Kigali and Brasília in 2023, signalling renewed efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation.
“Rwanda emerges as a key partner for the future. Brazil arrives with openness, respect, and enthusiasm, ready to learn, to cooperate, and to do business,” Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency President Jorge Viana said in an earlier engagement with Ambassador Manzi.
The Rwanda Development Board said the mission brings together businesses, investors and public institutions to explore opportunities for increased trade, investment and commercial partnerships between the two countries.
With further engagements still underway, the delegation is expected to continue exploring investment opportunities, commercial partnerships and areas of technical cooperation that can translate the growing Rwanda-Brazil relationship into tangible economic benefits.
The mission comes as Rwanda seeks to diversify its international trade and investment partnerships, positioning Brazilian expertise, technology and markets as potential avenues for supporting the country’s industrialisation, skills development and private-sector growth.
