The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in conjunction with the Netherlands Centre for Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) is training Rwandan commercial attachés and some diplomats  on how to analyse information related to trade and exports.

The five day course that commenced on Monday aims at strengthening the market research and marketing skills of commercial attachés as we as train them how to upload researched data directly onto a trade information system. Some 18 Rwandans trade promotion representatives and diplomats are attending the training.

George Mulamula, RDB’s Principal Deputy CEO, said that the course will boost Rwanda’s exports.

"This training will also create a new platform which is going to look at how to analyse trade and information related to all exports of Rwanda,” he explained.

The training is part of the project RDB has embarked on to develop a market information portal that will provide accurate, up-to-date and relevant information on priority export sectors for the Rwandan business community.

Mulamula also explained that the trainees will focus on Rwanda’s economic diplomacy to line achievements with Vision 2020.

"In doing so it will help to build the refractivity in rural areas by targeting certain exports to generate foreign exchange and build the private sector, this will increase on Revenues and it will help on the Balance of trade,” Mulamula added.

The CBI trainer, Klaas de Boer, said: "It is in our interest to share experiences and to learn from each other, not to just promote Rwanda to the EU but also to use each other’s competencies to seek opportunities for the region.”

In June 2009, CBI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RDB and the Private Sector Federation (PSF) to provide the country’s exports a further boost.

According to reports, CBI started facilitating Rwanda’s emerging exports in 2008.

The cooperation between CBI, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the PSF has an initial cost of $1.5 million (Rwf848.8 million) running for two years.

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