Rwanda will next week host a two-day trade mission from Mauritius from March24-25 in Kigali. The business-to-business meeting and a trade fair aims to promote exports between the two countries. The annual event is the second ‘buyer and seller’ meeting and is organised by the Private Sector Federation, Rwanda Development Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Enterprise Mauritius. Benjamin Gasamagera, the Private Sector Federation chairman, said the meeting will involve business matck-making, providing traders from both countries an avenue to exchange ideas, network, as well as market products and seek partnerships. Mauritius was ranked the best country to do business in Africa by the World Bank Doing Business report 2014, followed by Rwanda. Both countries are members of the Common Market for Eastern Africa (Comesa), a regional trade bloc that promotes intra-regional trade with goods exempted from customs duty. The trade fair will showcase textiles, agro-processing equipment, steel, construction products, printing and publishing, chemicals, soap and detergents, as well as refrigeration and cooling systems and motor vehicles parts. Last year, Rwanda and Mauritius signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen ties between the two countries, as well as harmonise some of the tax regimes. Geoffrey Kamanzi, the head of trade negotiations and facilitation at PSF, said the deal signed with Enterprise Mauritius will greatly strengthen trade relations between the two countries and boost exports. The two countries also signed a tax deal, exempting traders from either country from double taxation, and also to prevent revenue leakages. Rwanda’s export to Mauritius and the regional market include minerals such as cassiterite, coltan, wolfram, agro-products and textiles. Mauritian investors have already started to invest in Rwanda in sectors such as energy and sugar production.
