{"id":119967,"date":"2026-01-31T01:45:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T20:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=119967"},"modified":"2026-01-31T01:45:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T20:45:57","slug":"rwanda-pakistan-agree-to-boost-trade-and-economic-ties-at-first-ever-rwanda-coffee-festival-in-islamabad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/119967\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda, Pakistan Agree to Boost Trade and Economic Ties at First-Ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad<br><p data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"460\"><\/p>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Islamabad (National Times) Rwanda and Pakistan agreed to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation as the Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan successfully hosted the first-ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad, showcasing Rwanda\u2019s premium Arabica coffee and promoting deeper commercial and cultural engagement between the two countries.<br>The event opened with welcome remarks by H.E. Ms. Harerimana Fatou, Rwanda\u2019s High Commissioner to Pakistan, who warmly welcomed Rwandan delegates and participants. She highlighted the significance of South\u2013South cooperation and described the festival as an important milestone in introducing Rwanda\u2019s renowned coffee to the Pakistani market for the first time.<br>H.E. Mr. Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda\u2019s Minister of Trade and Industry, thanked participants for their interest in Rwanda coffee and appreciated Pakistan\u2019s hospitality. He emphasized Rwanda\u2019s business-friendly environment and its strategic role as a gateway to Africa, offering access to nearly 1.5 billion consumers. The Minister expressed Rwanda\u2019s interest in importing Pakistani rice, textiles, and pharmaceutical products, noting the strong demand and popularity of Pakistani Basmati rice in Rwanda.<br>Describing the Coffee Festival as a celebration of resilience and cultural pride, Minister Sebahizi stressed the need to strengthen direct trade links through structured import-export supply chains, particularly in the coffee sector. He invited Pakistani investors to explore opportunities in Rwanda\u2019s coffee industry and underscored expanding cooperation in agriculture, mining, infrastructure, education, artificial intelligence, and health. He also called for effective implementation of the Trade MoU signed last year to enhance market access and deepen bilateral economic ties.<br>The festival was graced by Hon. Muhammad Junaid Anwar, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs of Pakistan, as Chief Guest. He highlighted the role of coffee diplomacy in strengthening bilateral relations, improving maritime connectivity, diversifying supply chains, and fostering long-term partnerships based on mutual respect and shared prosperity.<br>Participants also heard remarks from Mr. Sardar Yasir Ilyas, National Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Tourism, who emphasized the untapped tourism potential between Rwanda and Pakistan. He noted that initiatives such as the Rwanda Coffee Festival promote not only trade and investment but also cultural understanding and tourism cooperation.<br>Mr. Claude Bizimana, CEO of Rwanda\u2019s National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), presented insights into the policy-driven transformation of Rwanda\u2019s coffee sector and outlined direct trade opportunities for Pakistani businesses, stating, \u201cWe are here for business.\u201d<br>Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed commended Rwanda\u2019s remarkable recovery and praised the visionary leadership of President Paul Kagame, describing Rwanda as a global success story in economic development, trade, and innovation. He stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations through collaboration in trade, investment, and knowledge exchange.<br>The festival also featured a panel discussion involving Rwandan coffee exporters and Pakistani importers, focusing on market access, quality assurance, logistics, branding, and sustainable partnership models to expand the footprint of Rwandan coffee in Pakistan.<br>The Rwanda Coffee Festival 2026 attracted a large and diverse audience, including diplomats, senior government officials, business leaders, investors, coffee professionals, media representatives, and civil society members. The Rwanda High Commission expressed confidence that the festival would serve as a catalyst for sustainable commercial partnerships and further strengthen Rwanda\u2013Pakistan trade and cultural relations.<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\"><article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" tabindex=\"-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:77b59788-2298-43af-81bd-250813635e11-1\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\"><div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"><div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article><\/div><div aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\" class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px absolute bottom-0\"><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Islamabad (National Times) Rwanda and Pakistan agreed to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation as the Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan successfully hosted the first-ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad, showcasing Rwanda\u2019s premium Arabica coffee and promoting deeper commercial and cultural engagement between the two countries.The event opened with welcome remarks by H.E. Ms. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rwanda, Pakistan Agree to Boost Trade and Economic Ties at First-Ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/119967\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rwanda, Pakistan Agree to Boost Trade and Economic Ties at First-Ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Islamabad (National Times) Rwanda and Pakistan agreed to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation as the Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan successfully hosted the first-ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad, showcasing Rwanda\u2019s premium Arabica coffee and promoting deeper commercial and cultural engagement between the two countries.The event opened with welcome remarks by H.E. 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