An insight into the forthcoming East African Business Summit

Africa recently turned its eyes onto Kigali to follow deliberations of the African Development Bank meetings that were mainly centered on economic transformation and development of the continent as a whole using the available resources. The summit also served as a precursor of what is expected from the regional business fraternity and policy makers at the forth coming East African business summit slated for June 4-6 in Kigali. Cognizant of the fact that at least many now know how and what Africa envisions itself in the coming decades; as a region, we could equally synchronize our ideologies and visions with Africa as a whole so as to either stand out, or move at pace with Africa but never to be left dwindling in the shadows of the rest. The region still faces many challenges across its economic landscape even when efforts to secure common grounds to foster trade through an economic integration (custom union) have in the recent past come to reality. Under the theme; “Positioning East Africa for Inclusive Prosperity in 2020 and beyond”, the business summit shall definitely track and fuse development plans alongside regional economic visions. It is therefore noteworthy that we all give attention to key strategic areas and grab opportunities therein. The beauty about it is that all these conventions come at a time when east African states are building up towards reading budgets for the next financial year 2014/2015. Obviously those with the business acumen can use all this information to their benefit; even the states themselves to realign certain strategies. In all this however, what many haven’t probably noticed is exactly my utter conviction that Kigali city has earned a competitive edge over other cities in terms of ‘conference’ tourism even when customer care complaints still prevail; one thing policy makers ought to give due consideration lest it loses its props. But again; I am inclined to think that it is because of the recent economic reforms within the region that the business fraternity has reignited the urge to engage policy makers to catalyze rapid economic transformation since the last convention in 2002. These recent activities such as the signing of the standard gauge railway agreement with China to ease the cost of transport among the countries served by the Northern Corridor, the renewed commitment to integration in key areas by East African heads of state, identification of emerging opportunities within different sectors among others but not limited to the above, play a pivotal role in shaping our economic destiny. To the average common man, these conventions may never make sense or a wild dream but it is upon the elite class and leadership to inform and involve everyone because without these leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming after all is a form of planning! The writer is a social critic based in Kigali