Rwanda is looking to strengthen its business ties with Japan as one of the ways to ease the current trade imbalance and boost growth.

The partnership could be a spring board for the private sector to tap into the Japanese expertise and build the capacity of the local private sector to ensure quality production, according to Amb. Valentine Rugwabiza, the Rwanda Development Board chief executive officer. She added that the country needs such partnerships to help drive its growth plan, the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II). Speaking on her return from the first Japan-Africa Business Forum held in Tokyo, Japan, Rugwabiza said more Japanese investors would come to Rwanda by the end of the year to assess business opportunities in the country. 

Rugwabiza said Japanese investors would be interested in the mining industry, ICT, agro-processing, automobile assembly, as well as hospitality and manufacturing industries. 

"We have invited the Japanese to invest in Rwanda and take advantage of the growing local and regional markets. The message is that investing in Rwanda presents them better opportunities and access to a large regional market,” Rugwabiza said in an interview with Business Times. 

We have created a competitive business environment in the region, which should appeal to Japanese business people, she added.

Denis Karera, the Rwanda Hoteliers Association chairman, who represented Rwanda’s private sector at the forum, said the partnership could also boost the country’s tourism industry.

"We have so far established focal points here and in Japan. We intend to use this as an opportunity to build a strong trade partnership that will spur growth. However, the private sector needs to be ready to benefit from this kind of partnership,” Karera said. He added that there are many Japanese companies willing to invest in Rwanda if they identify local business people with whom to form joint ventures.

The Japan-Africa Business Forum was organised by the Japanese External Trade Organisation and supported by the African Development Bank, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the African diplomatic corp.

Meanwhile, RDB’s Chamber of ICT used the forum to sign a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Kombe Institute of Computing. Under the MOU, Japan committed to offer scholarships to Rwanda’s talented ICT students to study from the institute.