By Kwanta Douglas –
Rwanda is all set to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) after the event was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The meeting will now be held starting the week of June 20, 2022.
The new date was announced in a joint communiqué by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame.
CHOGM was due to have been held in Kigali in June 2020 but was postponed that year and also in 2021 after it was deemed unsafe for the delegates to convene in Rwanda at a time the pandemic was still raging.
“Rwanda is pleased to welcome all delegates and participants to Kigali for a safe and productive CHOGM Rwanda 2022. The last two years have made it clear to us that we are more connected than ever before and we must work together to achieve the tangible and sustainable results we want.
“The long awaited meeting will be an important occasion to come together to address the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and to build on innovative technological and economic opportunities to solve other key problems facing our citizens,” said President Kagame in a statement.
Ms Scotland said, “Our meetings in Rwanda will give us a real opportunity to reaffirm the values that bind the Commonwealth together and focus on vital issues, including the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, tackling climate change and poverty, boosting trade and promoting sustainable development – all issues that can only be dealt with decisively through multilateral cooperation and mutual support.”
The confirmation of the new dates gives the government and private sector players less than five months to prepare for the event and put in place all the products and services that will be needed to host the delegates.
