PSF should draw lessons from missing out on GES Summit

Editor, RE: “Better coordination needed between private sector and govt institutions” (The New Times, July 28). This is really unfortunate on so many levels. First, the excuse that the invitation was last minute, we all know that is really not last minute by Rwandan standards and especially the Private Sector Federation (PSF) if we are honest with ourselves. PSF should not have been waiting for an invitation in the first place – this is something they should have been actively pursuing so as to give their members the opportunity to participate in such a very important event. Second, the excuse that this was not followed through because of the preparations for the annual trade expo in Rwanda; seriously, how can preparing an expo be a reason for not mobilising the private sector to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)? I honestly do not understand this logic. Is it that the people at PSF did not know what exactly the GES is and who exactly was going to be in attendance, the media opportunity, the networking? I don’t get it. Also, expo is an annual event, which means the plans should be far ahead. The expo does not start until the 29th of July for crying out loud; couldn’t the private sector attend the GES and then come back and prepare for expo? Maybe the GES could even have been used by PSF to draw more people to the Rwandan expo; I guess no one thought of it that way. Ingabire

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PSF should draw lessons from missing out on GES Summit