Government has ordered fuel dealers to serve a maximum of Rwf15, 000 per vehicle, equivalent to about 20 litres of petrol per day. But it has maintained that the rationing should not apply to public transport dealers.

This will help government cushion itself against any likely fuel shortages in the country due to the high prices and reduced supply from the Kenyan town of Eldoret where Rwanda imports from.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry also suggested that the Kenyan government should allocate more shares to Rwandan trucks, or even allow them to load from all points including Mombasa.

Rwanda has also requested the Tanzanian government to remove the entire non tariff barriers that cause delays. To avoid a surge in prices, government has also initiated tax incentives of 68 percent and 78 percent on diesel and petrol respectively.

In this regard, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Minister of Trade and Industry said that there would be no fuel shortage at least throughout this month and the first week of the New Year because importers’ trucks are soon expected to supply up to 6,000,000 litres of petrol.

Rwanda is said to consume an estimated 200,000 litres of fuel per day.

Report on business barriers out next month

A report on business barriers in Rwanda is expected to be released next month. Emmanuel Hatejeka, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) Permanent Secretary said the report is being finalised by a contracted firm.

The report is compiled by the South African firm, Strategic Business Partnerships for Growth in Africa (SBP). This comes after the completion of a study on compliance costs and administrative barriers affecting business in Rwanda. The report is dubbed, ‘Cutting the costs of red tape for business in Rwanda.’

However, it is believed that before its launch, the Senate will discuss the report findings in order to make the necessary adjustments.

Hategeka said that the report is an eye opener that will help to improve business advocacy in the country.

"It will provide government and private sector with a clear understanding of business’ experience of the regulatory environment.”

The study that begun January, 2008, was funded by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The study looked closely at the most costly and troublesome regulations affecting firms in Rwanda.

It covers 400 businesses in the informal sector, 60 percent of which are within Kigali while the rest (40 percent) are from the country’s four provinces. The businesses being examined range from very large companies to small enterprises.

PSF to reward top entrepreneurs

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) is to reward top entrepreneurs in the country in recognition of their contribution towards Rwanda’s economy.

Antoine Manzi Rutayisire, the PSF Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Growth, said that the awards will recognise those entrepreneurs and businesses that demonstrate innovation and best practices.

He said, "The ultimate accomplishment of these awards is to foster a culture of entrepreneurship and competitiveness.” They are open to all sectors of the economy that are innovative and competitive.

According to the programme, awards shall be categorised into 12 distinct classes such as the Services sector, Tourism sector and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the year.

Winners from each category will be crowned including overall winners. These shall be determined by a six-person jury, comprising of personalities of high integrity from the Business Community and Academia.

These inaugural awards are dubbed, ‘Enterprise of the Year Awards (ENOYA) – 2008’. Similarly, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) through one of its seven amalgamated institutions, Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (Riepa) recently crowned best investors and exporters.

Mining sector targets more skilled labour

A steady increase in earnings from the mining sector, have prompted the need for more skilled labour to boost revenues in the coming years.

This follows a survey by the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) that indicated that Rwanda’s mining sector employs more unskilled local labourers than technical.

The findings indicate that 2,802 out of 2,816 employees are locals. This represents 99.5 percent of the total employees in surveyed companies and 0.03 percent of the country’s estimated population of 10 million people.

However, 88.2 percent of the local employees are unskilled, 7.5 percent are technical while 4.3 percent are managerial or administrative roles.

The findings further indicate that 2,413 employees are male, while 389 are female. The survey was carried out in September, 2008, from 10 out of 14 registered mining companies that received questionnaires.

It was conducted in collaboration with Rwanda Geology and Mines Authority (OGMR) which is also charged with finding out the destination of the mining sector exports receipts.

The study was based on company responses to questionnaires that required respondents to indicate their shareholders, their country of residence and the percentage of stake.

But out of 10 respondents, three reported 2,537 employees, representing 90.1 percent of the 2816 employees. This is because most of the companies exporting minerals are not operating in mining concessions but are mineral buyers. The companies randomly selected were part of 23 exporters.

Rwandatel hits 50,000 subscribers in 11 days

Rwandatel has announced having hit the mark of 50,000 subscribers in its first week of using the new technology. This was revealed by the company’s Public Relations Officer, Cleophas Kabasiita.

This follows the company’s switch to 2G, 3G, and GSM technology about two weeks ago, after its acquisition by LAP Green networks, a subsidiary of the Libyan African Portfolio. It is jointly owned with the National Social Security Fund of Rwanda (CSR).

The new technology can enable Rwandatel to conduct wireless video calls, and access broadband Internet in a mobile environment.

Rwandatel is targeting about 600,000 subscribers by the end of 2009 as it continues to roll out the new services countrywide.

Kabasiita said that currently, only the 2G phones and SIM cards are available on the market but stocks are also depreciating.

Kabasiita, however, said that the company is shipping in more handsets soon.

Common Market negotiators ask for regional programme updates

The East African Community (EAC) Common Market negotiators have requested the Secretariat for updates on other regional programmes and protocols.

This is intended to speed-up the harmonisation of policies in the next round of talks of the regional Common Market which seeks to allow free movement of goods, persons and service by 2010.

This comes after the High Level Task Force’s (HLTF) request for progress made in the on-going studies on the evaluation of the EAC Customs Union and harmonisation of the education systems.

According to Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda’s Chief Negotiator, the updates will be used as references to facilitate the negotiations that might be related to the current state of negotiations. He said that the reports will highlight hurdles in implementation and how they are being addressed.

Citing an example of the Customs Union, Sebahizi who is also the Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s Regional Integration Committee, said that most of the issues requested are directly related to the Common Market protocol.

Sebahizi said that the parties requested the establishment of a regional development fund which is fundamental to the EAC Common Market protocol.

He explained, "The development fund is important in addressing challenges met by partner states in their regional endeavours.”

Ends