The construction of the Egypt–Rwanda Magdi Yacoub Heart Centre, expected to begin serving patients by 2026 took centre stage on Saturday during discussions between Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty and Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) inauguration.
Abdelatty stated that Egypt is working actively, following directives from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, to make sure the centre becomes fully functional by 2026. The facility is intended to serve as a major regional hub for cardiac diagnosis, advanced treatment, and medical training.
In a statement released by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting Rwanda’s Vision 2050, praising the country’s progress and strong determination to achieve long-term growth and development.
Both ministers explored ways to expand bilateral cooperation and strengthen joint efforts to promote peace, stability, and development across the African continent.
On the matter of Nile water security, Abdelatty restated Egypt’s stance, calling for cooperation guided by international law and mutual benefits for all Nile Basin nations. He rejected any unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile that could jeopardize these principles.
He emphasized that Egypt would take any necessary steps, in line with international law, to protect its national water security.
The statement further noted that the ministers exchanged views on peace processes in the Great Lakes region and discussed increasing collaboration through African organizations.
Abdelatty highlighted the “deep-rooted ties” between Egypt and Rwanda, pointing out the positive momentum in recent years. He described Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s visit to Cairo last September as an important milestone that demonstrated both countries’ commitment to deeper cooperation.
He also stressed the importance of expanding trade and investment relations, building on the gains from the Egypt–Rwanda Business Forum held during Kagame’s visit.
Abdelatty mentioned strong opportunities for Egyptian private companies to invest in Rwanda’s development projects, including infrastructure, dam construction, and modernization sectors in which Egyptian companies already have extensive experience across Africa.
He further noted the potential for partnerships in pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, health tourism, textiles, food production, and the tourism industry, saying Egyptian investors are eager to take advantage of Rwanda’s attractive investment climate and incentives.
Both ministers agreed to continue working closely through bilateral and regional platforms to push forward Africa’s development and integration goals.
Rwanda, located upstream in the Nile Basin, where its waters flow into Lake Victoria, the White Nile’s main source, has long aligned with Equatorial Lakes and Eastern Nile countries in advocating for fair and development-focused use of the Nile waters.
As a signatory to the 2010 Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), known as the Entebbe Agreement, Rwanda supports forming a permanent Nile River Basin Commission and replacing historical treaties that allocated most of the Nile’s water to Egypt and Sudan.
While Rwanda supports equitable and reasonable use of shared water resources, it consistently pushes for cooperation and dialogue under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), headquartered in Entebbe, Uganda.
In recent years, Egypt and Rwanda have worked to place water cooperation within a wider African development and climate-resilience framework, promoting sustainability and shared benefits rather than competition over water allocations.
