NYARUGENGE - The Rwanda Investment Export Promotion (RIEPA), Friday sponsored a dinner at Serena hotel for members of the Kenya-Rwanda Business Association.

According to Francis Gatare, RIEPA’s Director General, the objective of the dinner was to pave way for the business persons to invest in the country.

"In order to save time, we designed the ‘One Stop Centre’, an easy way for the investors to register in one office instead of undergoing many processes,” Gatare said.

In an exclusive interview with The New Times, the chairman of Kenya-Rwanda business Association (KRBA), Rwanda Chapter, Gerald Mpyisi, said that, KRBA is a business oriented organisation that brings together Kenyan and Rwandan business people to work together in order to enhance business in the region.

"Our patrons are the two ambassadors of Kenya and Rwanda. We have marked good achievements in our two year existence such as organising the forum in our two countries and scrapping of work permits in the both countries,” Mpyisi said.

He also underscored that the public and private sectors need each other.

"That is why we should work together to remove all business barriers,” he observed.

According to Lydia Maguza, KRBA Executive Secretary, the association facilitates an advocacy platform to deal with business problems in the two countries.

"When you are a member of the association, the advocacy is done by the chapter in the country you are in,” Maguza said.

She added that the small and medium businesses are the main beneficiaries and every business person is welcome to join the association.

Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki, accompanied by Wachira Mahihu the chairman of KRBA Kenya Chapter, during a recent state visit, announced the waiving of work permits for Rwandans in Kenya.

"We have to boost business in our countries and remove all business barriers that can be hindrances to our countries’ development. We need strong economies in this globalisation system and avoid aid dependency,” Mahihu told the participants in the Business Breakfast attended by President Kibaki at Serena Hotel.

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