Kigali and Saint Louis to formalise municipal partnership
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rwanda Dispatch
Kigali and Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, are preparing a partnership agreement between their two cities to promote trade and cooperation. A delegation of 36 officials is due to sign the agreement during a mission to Rwanda from 8 to 11 November, Rwanda Dispatch reports.
Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and Saint Louis, in the US state of Missouri, are due to formalise a sister-city partnership during a trade mission to Rwanda scheduled for 8 to 11 November 2026, according to Rwanda Dispatch. The agreement would make Kigali Saint Louis's 17th sister city and its second African partner after Saint-Louis, Senegal, which joined the programme in 1994.
A delegation of 36 business and civic leaders, led by World Trade Center St. Louis, will take part in the mission, which will run from 6 to 15 November in Rwanda and Kenya. The partnership is intended to promote cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, technology and culture, according to Rwanda Dispatch.
The discussions were prepared by an exploratory committee created in 2023, following a visit by a Saint Louis delegation to Rwanda in January 2025. Local organisations, including the African Chamber of Commerce St. Louis, subsequently took part in efforts to establish the partnership.
Stella Sheehan, deputy director of World Trade Center St. Louis, said Saint Louis businesses needed to strengthen their ties with African markets. The delegation expected in Rwanda will include representatives from the agricultural sciences, transport and logistics, advertising, lobbying and health sectors, according to Rwanda Dispatch.
