Finance Minister, John Rwangombwa said Monday that key on Rwanda’s agenda ahead of the high level 20th World Economic Forum (WEF) is to attract more foreign investments.

The three-day forum that starts Wednesday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is expected to attract African heads of state and financial experts from 85 other countries.

"The economic forum will bring key people together – people that matter in terms of private investments for the country,” Rwangombwa told The New Times on phone from Tanzania.

The Forum, which will mainly focus on re-thinking strategies on investments in Africa, will be another opportunity for Rwanda, which encourages investments in form of public private partnerships (PPPs), the Minister said.

It is the first WEF meeting to be held in the East African region. With over 1,000 other participants expected, this year’s Forum is believed to have registered record participation.

Apart from the host, President Jakaya Kikwete, organizers say the list of leaders participating includes President Kagame and South African President Jacob Zuma.

Others include the Presidents of Mozambique, Gabon, Namibia, Benin and the Ethiopian Prime Minister.

In addition, according to a statement issued at a recent press briefing in Dar es Salaam, the Forum’s Young Global Leaders Summit will be held concurrently and will bring together over 200 of the world’s top young leaders.

It is noted that the delegates will discuss how African nations are managing relations with key economic partners.

The Geneva-based non-profit foundation – WEF, is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland which brings together top business leaders, international political leaders, selected intellectuals and journalists to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world economy.

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