President Paul Kagame is attending the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, four years after Rwanda hosted the organisation’s leaders in Kigali and took over its rotating chairmanship.
The summit, taking place in St John’s from November 1 to 4, brings together leaders of the 56-member Commonwealth to discuss trade, investment and cooperation. This year’s theme is “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”.
Kagame assumed the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office position when Rwanda hosted the 26th CHOGM in Kigali from June 20 to 25, 2022. He held the role until the next summit in Apia, Samoa, in October 2024, when Samoa took over the chairmanship.
Rwanda’s hosting of the 2022 meeting brought heads of state and government to Kigali for discussions on sustainable development, innovation, cooperation and other shared challenges facing member countries.
The summit also saw the admission of Gabon and Togo, which became the organisation’s 55th and 56th members. Both countries, whose official language is French, expanded the Commonwealth’s membership beyond countries with a history of British colonial rule.
Rwanda joined the Commonwealth on November 29, 2009, becoming one of its members without a history of British colonial administration.
At the 2024 summit, Kagame thanked member countries for their cooperation during Rwanda’s two-year chairmanship and pledged continued support for Samoa as it took over the role.
This year’s meeting is being hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, which marked 45 years of independence on November 1, the opening day of the summit. Kagame joined other leaders and invited guests in St John’s for celebrations marking the anniversary.
His programme also includes a high-level discussion with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioʻo. The session is expected to examine how the Commonwealth can use its collective resources to improve the lives of people in member countries.
The wider summit agenda includes expanding trade among member states, attracting investment and strengthening partnerships. The Commonwealth represents about 2.7 billion people across 56 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific.
