Local producers seek to capitalize on AU Summit

The Made in Rwanda brand is poised to get a continental profile, courtesy of the exhibition underway at the ongoing African Union Summit. Local producers and service providers from an array of sectors including fabrics, fashion designers, electronics, agriculture, aviation, IT among others are exhibiting wares and services at the summit. Their efforts, they say, are not much geared at making quick sales but raising the profile of their brands and creating awareness of their existence with view to expand their market reach. Among the exhibitors at the summit is Ultimate Developers Limited, a firm in real estate involved in developing and selling properties which hopes to attract clients from across the continent. Sadia Mathias an architect at the firm told The New Times that they were looking to showcase the real estate in the country as well as exploring opportunities to be part of it by acquiring property across the city. “With most of the delegates already impressed with the development of the city in recent years, there is likely to be demand for opportunities to acquire property here. So far, most who have visited us have appreciated the available properties,” Mathias said. Exhibitors such as Rwanda Mountain Tea went a step ahead to customise their products with the AU brand which they want delegates to get as souvenir from Rwanda. For local fashion houses such as Moshions owned by Moise Turahirwa, the summit is another vehicle that will help them to expand their market beyond the Rwandan borders. Positivo BGH which manufactures laptops in the country and Africa Smart Investment Distributions (ASI-D), its distribution partner, are also keen on breaking into the continental market. Alex Rutimirwa, the sales and marketing manager of ASI-D said that this presents an opportunity to reach a wider market. “This being a Pan-African summit, African countries will be keen to seek ways to partner and trade more with each other,” Rutimirwa said. Others like Irembo, an e-government portal developed and operated by Rwanda Online Ltd are using the platform to share Rwanda’s journey in using ICT to roll out services. Alain Kayihura, the firm’s marketing manager said that they had received lot of curious delegates looking to understand Rwanda’s path and adopt lessons from it. This he said would further raise the country’s profile as an ICT hub.

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Local producers seek to capitalize on AU Summit