The 28th edition of the summit has brought together 30 Heads of State and Government under the theme, “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.”
President Kagame is attending the meeting alongside other leaders, including Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is hosting the summit, Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
The meeting has also attracted other Heads of State and Government, ministers, private-sector representatives, civil society organisations and young people.
During the summit, leaders are expected to discuss ways for Commonwealth member states to strengthen cooperation with their partners, expand trade among themselves and attract investment that can make a meaningful contribution to economic development.
The programme includes high-level discussions, various forums, a leaders’ retreat and engagements with private-sector representatives.
Among the activities President Kagame is expected to attend is a high-level panel discussion with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioʻo.
The discussion will focus on how the Commonwealth can better harness its collective strengths to build a better future for people across member states. It will take place during the opening ceremony of the summit’s forums and related activities.
President Kagame will also attend the official opening ceremony of CHOGM 2026, bringing together the Heads of State and Government attending the meeting.
During his visit, President Kagame is also expected to attend a ceremonial parade marking the 45th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda’s independence.
Antigua and Barbuda gained independence from British colonial rule on November 1, 1981.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, taking place in St. John’s from November 1 to 4, 2026, is the 28th since the summits began in 1971.
Held every two years, CHOGM is a major platform where leaders make decisions on issues affecting the Commonwealth’s 56 member states, which have a combined population of approximately 2.7 billion people, representing about one-third of the world’s population.
The first CHOGM was held in Singapore in 1971, replacing earlier meetings of prime ministers from countries with historical ties to Britain.
Since then, the summits have been hosted by different Commonwealth member states to discuss shared challenges, including economic development, security, democracy, human rights, climate change and sustainable development.
Rwanda hosted CHOGM in 2022, with the meeting held in Kigali from June 20 to 25. In 2024, the summit took place in Apia, Samoa, before Antigua and Barbuda became its host in 2026.
Rwanda joined the Commonwealth on November 29, 2009, becoming one of the countries that joined the organisation without having been colonised by Britain.
In 2022, President Kagame became Chairperson-in-Office of the Commonwealth, a position he held until October 2024, when leadership was handed over to Samoa.
The 2026 meeting in Antigua and Barbuda comes four years after Rwanda hosted CHOGM in Kigali, where leaders discussed economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, innovation and strengthening cooperation.
