On the evening of Tuesday, 2 November 2025, Virgile Rwanyagatare, Director General for Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFFET), joined the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Kigali to commemorate the 54th Union Day of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Union Day, celebrated annually in the UAE on 2 December, marks the founding of the federation of the emirates in 1971. It is a moment of patriotic fervor, when people across the UAE dress in the national-flag colors, decorate public and private spaces, and transform streets, homes, and cars with lights and flags. Public squares, palm-lined streets, hotels and landmarks are illuminated in red, green, white and black — the colors of the national banner — giving rise to festive scenes that celebrate national unity and pride.
During his remarks at the Kigali celebration, Rwanyagatare commended the “excellent cooperation” between Rwanda and the UAE across multiple sectors. His comments resonated against the backdrop of a dramatic surge in trade relations between the two countries.
According to the 2024 report of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda’s exports to the UAE jumped by 63.9 percent, from roughly US$951.2 million in 2023 to over US$1.55 billion (about Rwf 2.2 trillion) in 2024, according to reports. The UAE thus remains Rwanda’s largest foreign export market, accounting for about 63.9 percent of the country’s formal goods exports in 2024, up from 56.9 percent in 2023.
Historically, Rwanda has exported to the UAE a variety of goods, including precious and semi-precious stones, horticultural produce (such as avocados, passion fruit, and other fruits and vegetables), coffee, tea, and other agricultural and milling products. On the flip side, Rwanda imports from the UAE mainly petroleum products, vehicles, electronics, and furniture, among others.
The diplomatic celebration in Kigali on November 2, therefore, comes at a high-point in bilateral relations — one marked by significant economic interdependence, growing exports, and mutual cooperation across diplomatic and trade fronts.
By joining the UAE embassy’s Union Day celebrations, Rwanyagatare underscored a symbolic gesture of diplomacy and reflects the deepening ties between Rwanda and the Gulf nation.
