President Kagame received at Villa Urugwiro the US Ambassador to Rwanda, Eric Kneedler, to bid him farewell as he completed his duties.
Amb. Eric Kneedler has been confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda in August 2022, by United States President Joe Biden.
The diplomat was sworn in as the US ambassador to Rwanda in August 2023.
Kneedler has often appeared on social media, expressing his visits to some of Rwanda’s most beautiful places and enjoying them, most notably writing in Kinyarwanda.
The United States cooperates with Rwanda in various sectors such as healthcare, social welfare, education, military, and others.
For example, on December 5, 2025, Rwanda and the United States signed a health cooperation agreement worth $228 million, which includes the goal of supporting the health sector in Rwanda.
The 2024 activity report of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) showed that the United States invested approximately $441.3 million in 31 different projects.
Trade in goods and services between Rwanda and the United States in 2024 was worth $368.9 million. Goods traded between the two sides were worth $74.9 million, while the value of services was $294 million.
Eric Kneedler is a senior American diplomat who served as the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, effective January 2021. He began his assignment in Kenya in 2017 as a political advisor
He previously held these positions at the embassy in Manila, Philippines, and served as deputy political counselor at the embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.
In late December 2025, Trump announced that he had recalled 29 ambassadors, including 13 from Africa. Eric Kneedler of Rwanda was among those recalled.
It is a decision taken as part of America’s new diplomatic agenda.
Some officials at the United States Department of State said that the heads of all 29 embassies have been told that their duties will end in January 2026.
