Editor,

I wish to clarify statements associated to me in the story that run in the New Times of October 20th 2009 titled RDB pondering Middle East markets for Rwandan Exports, where I was erroneously quoted as having claimed that the first export initiative to the Middle East was not effective because there was not enough information on the market and how to sustain it.

However, I acknowledged that the first initiative did provide some information that was now going to be supplemented with further data, and following the global economic changes, RDB would also look into ways of sustaining such a venture.

With regard to whether Rwandair will give us a proposal on how it can be used for transport, I said and I quote: "We prefer Rwandair, because it serves two purposes in the realm of branding: one as a national brand for the country when we use our own national carrier, and second as a branding tool for our products, which are enhanced by using our national carrier.

At the right time, all national stakeholders would sit together and come up with a pricing model beneficial to all, and if the costs of transportation by Rwandair were to be too expensive to be sustainable for the export programme, we would have to come up with alternatives.”

Eng. George MULAMULA
Principal Deputy CEO

RDB