Minicom’s Jean Chrysosthome Ngabitsinze
Rwanda and Ghana have launched a business forum to jointly capitalize on business opportunities and strengthen public-private partnerships in both countries.
The forum launched this week in Accra, Ghana, and attended by stakeholder business, tourism, education, agriculture and others from both countries.
The forum will be one way of enabling the African Common Market, AfCFTA signed in 2020 in Kigali.
One of the main goals of the AfCFTA is to increase trade between these countries and to reduce the costs of exporting goods from one African country to another by 97%.
Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze told forum that Rwanda supports the existing cooperation with Ghana especially in promoting business and trade between the two countries.
Ngabitsinze called on the forum to work hard to ensure success especially in the manufacturing industry which has potential to transform trade on the continent even when Africa is considered incapable of manufacturing.
“The development of the industry in Africa is new, but we need to reform what we are doing so as to realize enough production on the African market,” Ngabitsinze said.
Minister Ngabitsinze noted that the problems of currency fluctuation in Africa are caused by the low production of products on the continent and he requested that efforts be made to solve these problems.
“One must bring real products to the market because that is what is needed to be sold. Let us go to bring opportunities in the market with more and better products and services. Let us be united like Africa because if we have a stable economy, other countries will also come,” he said.
Minister J. Chrisosthome Ngabitsinze of Minicom
The bilateral agreement between the two countries is focused on various aspects including women empowerment, strengthening of bilateral trade, the development of technology, tourism, aviation and both sides have held study tours back and forth.
With Rwandair flights reaching Accra Ghana, Rwanda is in the process of exporting some of its the products and service to Ghana. These include pesticides, pepper, flowers, animal products, coffee, honey and introducing cashless transportation such as Tap&Go.
A similar forum is planned to be held in Kigali where Ghanaian companies will also present some of their products in order to expand their activities in Rwanda.
