A delegation of French investors is in the country to assess investment opportunities and establish links with local businesses.

The investors, who are seeking opportunities in the agro-processing, aviation, ICT, construction sectors, as well as human resource services, said they were attracted by Rwanda’s conducive investment climate. "The conducive investment climate was the main pulling factor…we want to be part of Rwanda’s great success story,”  Marc Schneider, head of the delegation, said at a press briefing in Kigali on Monday.

According to Ronger Forneris, the director Aero Ports de Lyon, a French management and services company, a fast-growing economy like Rwanda brings with it challenges that provide business opportunities. "Business opportunities come as you try to tackle these challenges,” he argued. 

Tony Nsanganira, the Rwanda Development Board chief operations officer, assured the French investors of better returns if they set up shop in the country. He said Rwanda provides incentives not found elsewhere in the region.

"The Government has made business reforms to improve the investment climate and ease the way of doing business,” he said.

A recent World Bank report ranked Rwanda the second most-reformed economy in the world over the last five years and the third (first in the East African Community) easiest country to set up a business in Africa.

Chantal Umuraza, the Chamber of Industries executive director general, pledged support of the Private Sector Federation.

Rwanda is the third-best place to do business in sub-Suhara Africa, ranked 52nd out of 185 countries globally, according to the recent World Bank report.

During the last quarter of this year, RDB registered investments worth $1.2b (about Rwf800b), of these, 22 were foreign investments worth $406.9m and nine were joint ventures worth $338.1m.