St. Louis to add Kigali, Rwanda as 17th official sister city

“Africa is really where it’s going to be,” said Stella Sheehan, deputy director of the World Trade Center St. Louis. The city will add Kigali, Rwanda, as its 17th official sister city when a delegation signs the agreement during a nine-day trade mission to the African continent departing Friday, the first such mission led by the World Trade Center, St. Louis Public Radio reported.

From Kenya to Kigali After a 2021 Gala

Conversations about adding a second African sister city originally focused on Kenya, Sheehan said. The direction shifted in 2021 after Arnold Donald, then-chair of the World Tourism and Trade Organization and head of Carnival Cruise Lines, spoke at the World Trade Center’s annual gala following the organization’s first meeting on the continent in Kigali. Sheehan said Donald was “very enthusiastic about what he saw about the ease of doing business, how prepared they were to receive delegations, how clean the country was, everything.” He reached out to contacts in the St. Louis business community, moving the talks to Kigali. Saint-Louis, Senegal, has held the official designation since 1994.

African Diaspora Leaders Sat at the Table

The African Chamber of Commerce helped shape the decision, with board member Annie Mbale, program director at the St. Louis Mosaic Project, noting that the diaspora influenced the itinerary. “If you look at the African history, most of the time decisions are being made by people who think that know what Africans want,” Mbale said. “The exciting part of this was that the African diaspora here in St. Louis were sitting at the table and being involved in the decision-making.” Chamber president Linda Ogbah Faas said in a statement that “to see that this is becoming a reality is a dream come true for me, the founders, the board and the entire African community in St. Louis.”

Thirty-Six Delegates Span Crop Science to Cuisine

The 36-person delegation includes representatives from crop science, transportation and logistics, advertising and lobbying firms, and the Missouri Foundation for Health. Zellipah Githui, a Kenya native who runs Gitzell Fair Trade and chairs the committee pushing for the designation, called the organizing effort “amazing.” “It says volumes about their commitment to this global engagement,” she said. “Plus, it says volumes even for us residents of St. Louis who are Africans. It’s not the ‘pity continent’ anymore.” Githui plans to meet artisans before and after the official trip. Restaurateur Michael Johnson, behind Sugarfire, Hi-Pointe and the Boathouse in Forest Park, will bring St. Louis cuisine to embassies in Kigali and Nairobi. Ivory Clarke, the foundation’s vice president of strategic relationships, said the trip aims to return with “new perspectives, stronger relationships and thoughtful questions” and to learn about a hub-and-spoke healthcare delivery method for rural areas.

Mayor Spencer and County Executive Page Make the Trip

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and Rodney Crim, president and CEO of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, are also traveling with the delegation.

Questions About the Kigali Trade Mission

When does the delegation leave? The nine-day trade mission departs Friday.

Kigali will become the 17th official sister city; Saint-Louis, Senegal, has been one since 1994.

World Trade Center St. Louis is leading the trip, which marks its first trade mission to Africa.

Sheehan framed the timing plainly: “There’s so much potential. There is such a young, young population, and the Chinese are there already. The Europeans are there. We really are late to the table.”