The Rwanda Development Board in conjunction with the ACP Business Climate Facility (BizClim) has organised a four-day workshop to discuss and highlight necessary policies, strategies and programmes that will be relied upon to increase the competitiveness of the textile industry in Rwanda.

The workshop to be attended by local and international practitioners follows the 2008 Agreement between the then Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA, now RDB Business Operations and Services) with BizClim to undertake a study on the Textile and Garment Industry in Rwanda.

The workshop which begins today at Laico Umubano Hotel is aimed at sharing information and experiences on the textile and garment industry; to identify gaps in the Rwandan textile industry and to brainstorm on actions to be undertaken for the industry’s development.

"The expected output from the meeting will be relied upon to set in motion the seemingly less competitive textile industry so that it could have a significant social and economic impact for Rwanda,” a statement by both parties reads in part.

The ACP Business Climate Facility (BizClim) is an ACP-EU joint initiative financed under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF).

BizClim aims at fostering a business enabling environment in ACP countries or regions by improving legislation, institutional frameworks and financial measures relating to the enabling environment of the private sector and reforming state-owned enterprises.

BizClim also supports the government and the private sector in Rwanda in the formulation of a policy, strategy and action plan for the development of a textile and garment industry.

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