Rwanda lobbies Turkish business community

Minister of Trade and Industry, François Kanimba requested  Turkish businessmen  to invest in Rwanda. Rwanda and Turkey, developed a profound bilateral relationship since President Paul Kagame’s visit to Turkey in 2012.

Minister Kanimba said that the Government of Rwanda has offered incentives for foreign investments that are as favorable as possible and that Turkish and Rwandan businessmen should come together to exchange ideas more often.

The Minister was addressing a Turkey-Rwanda Trade and Investment Forum, organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON). A delegation of Twenty nine Rwandan businessmen led by Minister of Trade and Industry, François Kanimba attended the Rwanda-Turkey Business Forum and Exhibition held in Istanbul, Turkey starting from 18th to 23nd May, 2013.

“Rwanda stands out with its gold, tin ore, methane and hydro-electricity power potential as well as vast arable lands suitable for farming. And Turks are welcome to invest in the country”, Rwandan Trade Minister François Kanimba told a group of Turkish businessmen in İstanbul.

Rwanda-Turkey Business Forum will be the first of its kind and it comes as part of the growing business relationship between the two countries after President Paul Kagame visited the Turkish people and was introduced to some of the world’s renowned investment organizations like Tuskon, at a world economic summit that was held in Turkey in 2012.

Kagame’s visit to Turkey has sparked-off profound business collaboration between the two countries- which also share some common aspects in culture. Various Turkish investors, including the world class airline-Turkish Airlines, have invested in Rwanda. Other Turkish organizations and operations in Rwanda today, include education, hides and skins business among others.

The Tuskon Deputy Chairman Ahmet Ciğer noted that food and mining are the most promising investment fields for Turkish entrepreneurs in Rwanda.

“Ten years ago, Rwandan villagers would ask the government for food and basic necessities; today they demand better roads, improved electricity access and fast broadband,” Rwandan President Paul Kagame wrote, describing his country’s economic development in an article published in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

As Rwanda moves quickly to overcome the destructive impacts of the 1994 Genocide on the economy, Rwanda is looking to attract long-term foreign investments and through the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Rwanda investment lobby, the country hopes to attain this goal and become a region hub for business.

Starting a business is much easier and faster in Rwanda, and so is registering property, than it is in any of its neighbors in the East African Community (EAC) according to the World Bank 2013 report on Doing Business in EAC released this May 2.