• President of the International Union for Agroforestry
• Chair of the 5th World Congress on Agroforestry
• Distinguished participants
• Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon,

Rwanda is honoured to have been selected to host the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry, following a very competitive process.

We are excited to welcome the global agroforestry community to Rwanda in 2025.

We commit to delivering a fruitful agroforestry conference in partnership with all stakeholders.

I am pleased to share a few highlights of our country, and I hope you will be inspired to join us in Kigali.

Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda is a lush, green country. 

We are located in East Central Africa and enjoy a temperate climate all year round. Ours is a country of rolling hills, lakes, and towering dormant volcanoes.

Rwanda has put in place policies and initiatives to make visiting the country a memorable and seamless experience. 

You can get your visa on arrival, and if you’re from an African Union, Commonwealth or La Francophonie country, your visa will be free. 

Rwanda is one of the safest places in the world, and has been ranked the 2nd safest country on the continent.

Throughout the pandemic, we have maintained robust prevention measures - resulting in Rwanda being ranked one of the best places in the world for managing Covid-19. 

We are a popular conference destination and this year hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and ITU Development Conference. Later this year, we will also host the World Circular Economy Forum. 

We take great pride in protecting our natural environment. Today more than 30 percent of the country is forested - and we’re not done yet. 

We have an ambitious NDC climate action plan that includes increasing forestry coverage and expanding our national parks. 

When you are planning your trip to Rwanda, I encourage you to book a few days either side of the congress to explore the many incredible experiences on offer - from trekking to meet the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat to going on safari to see the Big 5. 

Once again, thank you for entrusting us to host the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry. 

Murakaza Neza, welcome. 

See you in Rwanda in 2025!