KIGALI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Friday assured foreign diplomats accredited to Rwanda that the country offers a favorable business investment environment, asking them to attract investments from their respective countries to Rwanda.

Rwanda nurtured a more conducive environment for business in 2018, and it wants to attract more "investment, innovation and joint ventures," said Kagame at an annual diplomats luncheon in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.

Rwanda has been on several occasions ranked high globally by the World Bank Doing Business Report for its conducive business environment, he told over 100 head of foreign missions to Rwanda.

The president also said Rwanda is committed to contributing more to the African Union priorities and engaging meaningfully in the region as Chair of the East African Community for 2019.

"Rwanda will again continue to do the best we can, so that East Africa continues with the progress we have already seen," he added.

The central African country recorded investments worth about 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, compared to 1.675 million dollars in 2017, according to Rwanda Development Board.

Rwanda ranked 29th out of 190 countries in ease of doing business and the 2nd easiest place to do business in Africa in the World Bank Group's 2019 Doing Business report.