Municipality officials from the Rwandan capital city Kigali with their french counterpart of Paris have signed a five-year cooperation agreement in the fields of new technologies, innovation and culture, according to an official statement obtained Wednesday by APA in Kigali.
“This agreement has very positive meaning in terms of cooperation and can help promote people-to-people contacts between the two cities,” the Mayoro Kigali city Pudence Rubingisa said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 41st General Assembly of the Association Internationale de Maires Francophones (AIMF), a summit that brings together mayors in the French-speaking countries, Rubingisa said that the move will see the two cities exchange experiences and experts in urban policies promoting digital entrepreneurship and innovation.
The cooperation also aims at encouraging incubators and structures that promote innovations in the two cities to jointly organise projects and events, it said.
Among other projects to be considered as part of the new deal, it includes financing systems for entrepreneurs and start-ups in the two cities.
During the implementation phase, the initiative will encourage the university networks and research institutes of two cities in the search for innovative solutions as well as promoting access to digital professions among girls and women in two cities are among the actions of cooperation.
Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris is in Rwanda for the 41st General Assembly of the Association Internationale de Maires Francophones (AIMF), a summit that brings together mayors in the French-speaking countries.
In June 2019, municipality authorities in Kigali (Rwanda) and their counterparts from Paris (France) signed a cooperation agreement to enable officials from the two cities to learn from each other.
Under the agreement, officials from the two cities will benefit from exchanges about best practices in different areas aimed at the promotion of sustainable urban development.
The areas of focus in the agreement include issues of historic archives and memory, protection of the environment, innovation and ICTs, citizen participation, culture and sports, and delivering public services to city residents.
CU/abj/APA