Government is seeking to establish more than 20 new platforms to strengthen public-private sector dialogue (PPD). The initiative seeks to enhance efficiency and boost competitiveness of the small and medium entrepreneurs. The new platforms will be managed under the current Rwanda Public private sector dialogue secretariat (RPPD) and will mainly focus on the Small and Medium entrepreneurs in different sectors. The Rwanda public private sector dialogue (RPPD) is the government initiative established to enhance interaction between government and business community through their umbrella Private Sector Federation (PSF). And to enhance this dialogue government has now recommended the formation of more platforms to expand coverage and boost efficiency. According to Daniel Nkubito the RPPD expert and secretariat member at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the decision is in response to the recommendation by the Ministry of Trade and Industry reached on during the SMEs forum held early this year. And so far we have managed to come up with 6 platforms which are yet to be operationalised, Nkubito told The New Times. The platforms will mainly focus on the agriculture sector, leather industry, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the SMEs among others. They will also focus on the major business constraints including limited access to finance, high tax rates and inadequate infrastructure. “We want to make sure that we link more SMEs to financial institutions so they are able to increase productivity,” Nkubito said. These are some of the cross cutting issues faced by the business community in almost all sectors, Edmond Tumwine, the head of PPD unit and institutional relations at PSF, said. “The idea is to see how we can work together in addressing some of the cross cutting issues which keep coming up,” he said. Addressing these challenges will help spur growth and propel Rwanda towards the realization of its second economic development and poverty reduction (EDPRS2) objectives, Patrick Ninzeyimana, a Kigali based business man, said. Recently, government unveiled a more inclusive PPD to help boost cooperation between government and the private sector. The new structure seeks to address challenges such as lack of consistent organisational leadership that impedes detailed dialogue between the public and private sector. It will also empower the PPD secretariat at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and provide concrete action plans that will aid the private sector to deliver on its economic objectives. And today, government through its planning process is initiating budgetary processes where the challenges and needs are highlighted beforehand such that the planning process can respond to the needs of the versatile business atmosphere.
