The Vectors and Means of Rwanda’s Growing External Influence under Paul Kagame
For three decades, Paul Kagame’s Rwanda has pursued a foreign policy aimed at increasing investment in the national economy, maximizing military cooperation and intelligence sharing, and promoting a model of post-genocide state reconstruction.
Rwanda’s diplomatic network has expanded significantly, in contrast to most major African economies, which have reduced their overseas missions and the number of their diplomats because of rising internal crises and budgetary constraints.
While Rwanda’s influence relies on a conventional diplomatic apparatus, it is also supported by other channels such as external intelligence services, as well as state agencies responsible for enhancing the country’s attractiveness, including the Rwanda Development Board (RDB)—which also oversees sports diplomacy—and the Rwanda Cooperation Initiative, under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The strength of the Rwandan army further allows the country to position itself as an indispensable partner for certain extra-African powers, as illustrated by its peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic and the deployment, since 2021, of its forces in northern Mozambique, securing the development of major liquefied natural gas projects operated by some of the world’s largest multinational energy companies.
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The Vectors and Means of Rwanda’s Growing External Influence under Paul Kagame
Benjamin AUGÉ
Associate Research Fellow, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, Ifri
Sub-Saharan Africa Center
Founded in 2007, Ifri's Sub-Saharan Africa center produces an in-depth analysis of the African continent and its security, geopolitical, political and socio-economic dynamics (in particular the phenomenon of urbanization). The Center aims to be both, through various publications and conferences, a space for disseminating analyzes intended for the media and the public but also a decision-making tool for political and economic actors with regard to the continent.
The center produces analyses for various organizations such as the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the French Development Agency (AFD) and even for various private supports. Its researchers are regularly interviewed by parliamentary committees.
The organization of events of various formats complements the production of analyzes by bringing the different spheres of the public space (academic, political, media, economic and civil society) to meet and exchange analytical tools and visions of the continent. The Sub-Saharan Africa Center regularly welcomes political leaders from different sub-Saharan African countries.
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