MOMBASA - Rwanda joins other African Commonwealth nations for a three-day workshop, this week, to examine ways of boosting the competitiveness of exports in the services sector.

The meeting, which takes place in Mombasa, Kenya, from Tuesday, will explore areas such as banking, education, film, music and health.

It will attract representatives from trade promotion organisations, government and business officials.

Trade and Industry (MINICOM) Minister François Kanimba, acknowledged the significance of the workshop.

 "What is sure is that a regional workshop like that one has an advantage – often, people meet and they share knowledge and experiences,”

"At times, we learn very many things from such gatherings as participants come back and improve things,” he told The New Times.

Estella Aryada, a trade adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, assisting member countries to improve their competitiveness in the services sector, says that the workshop aims to share good practices, challenges and lessons in exporting services in the 19 Commonwealth African countries.

"There have been a number of changes in the Africa region, including improved internet connectivity and access as a result of the completion of major cable installations. We need to re-assess how this is changing the landscape of the competitiveness of the countries to export services,” Aryada is quoted as saying.

Other participants are expected to come from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

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