St. Louis–Kigali Sister City Partnership

St. Louis currently has one African sister city—Saint-Louis, Senegal. In 2023, the African Chamber of Commerce St. Louis (ACCSTL), together with local partners, formed the Kigali–St. Louis Exploratory Committee to pursue a new sister city relationship with Kigali, Rwanda. The committee is a collaboration among:

  1. World Trade Center St. Louis (WTC)

  2. African Chamber of Commerce St. Louis (ACCSTL)

  3. BioSTL

  4. St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN)

  5. Nexus Group

  6. Missouri Rwanda Association

  7. Vitendo for Africa

  8. African Diaspora Council

Overview

Committee Leadership & Structure

Leadership

  • Zellipah Githui - President

  • Dr. Andwele Jolly — Vice President

  • Venessa Cooksey — Treasurer

  • Beny Grace — Secretary

  • Vamadu Sheriff — Member at Large

  • Charity Ikpe — Member at Large

  • Edmound Elzy — Member at Large

  • Salma Reed — Member at Large

Advisors

  • Dr. Linda Ogbah Faas

  • Renee Franklin

  • Susanne Evens

Liaison & Strategist

  • Annie Mbale

Additional contributors acknowledged include: Rodney Boyd who has organized several trips to Kigali and has been instrumental in fostering impactful partnerships between business leaders in St. Louis and Kigali. Contributors on the Exploratory Committee are: Bill Ntwali, Geoffrey Soyiantet, Abdul-Kaba Abdullah, Moise Kurikiyinka, Umuragwa Hertier, and Eric Rhiney.

Focus Areas

  • Economic Growth

  • Education Exchange

  • Culture & Sports

Why Kigali?

Rwanda—particularly Kigali—is gaining recognition as a global model of innovation and sustainable development. Partnering with Kigali presents St. Louis with unique opportunities in:

  • Economic Growth: A gateway to one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies.

  • Education Exchange: Partnerships between schools, universities, and training programs.

  • Healthcare Innovation: Collaboration in global health, medical technology, and community health systems.

  • Culture & Sports: Strengthening people-to-people ties through cultural, artistic, and athletic exchanges.

How It All Started

March 2024: Catalyst Visit

Nexus Group Rodney Boyd first traveled to Rwanda in 2023. What he experienced laid the groundwork for a return trip in early January with a group of St. Louis business leaders.

January 2025: Mission to Rwanda

A St. Louis delegation—including representatives from WTC, BioSTL, IHN, and Nexus Group—traveled to Kigali to explore economic, health, education, and cultural linkages, aiming to build groundwork for future partnerships.

Fall 2025: Planned Trade Mission

Later in 2025, a larger delegation from St. Louis will return to Kigali with the goal of formalizing the Sister City relationship and solidifying economic and civic engagements.

Voices from Around Town & Beyond

  • Rodney Boyd (Nexus Group): “I’ve called myself African American, but until recently, I didn’t put a lot of content in the African part, and I put more on the American part, right? I never thought about it. When I was there, that first trip, there was emotion, you know, I found myself just sort of driving around, looking at all these people and thinking about things I never thought about in terms of my own ancestry. I love the idea that maybe someday, young students from Harris-Stowe or from some of the schools here will go visit this great country, seeing people their own age that they never even thought about, right?” Boyd added.

  • Tim Nowak (WTC St. Louis) described Kigali as “a gateway for St. Louis companies to access one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies.”

  • Dr. Andwele Jolly (IHN) praised Rwanda’s journey of reconciliation and leadership in inclusive development.

  • Other prominent voices including Donn Rubin (BioSTL), Rodney Boyd (Nexus Group), and U.S. Ambassador Eric Kneedler have also voiced support for bolstering this international connection.

Get Involved

The Exploratory Committee welcomes participation from individuals with passion and expertise in civic engagement, trade, education, health, culture, and diaspora relations. Interested in joining or learning more? Contact the the committe members to lend your support and help shape this meaningful partnership