EDITORIAL: India should serve as Rwanda’s new Eldorado of knowledge

The Indian Vice President, Hamid Ansari, has just wound up a three-day official visit to the country as part of a two-leg African tour. As the highest Indian Government official to visit Rwanda, it is an indication of the strengthening ties between the two countries. Indians (and Pakistanis for that matter) have been present in the region for decades, best known for their business acumen. In Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, they have moved from being shopkeepers to become a force to reckon with in industry and are mainstays in the economy. The Indian footprint has not been that visible in Rwanda, but that now seems to be changing. In the last six years alone, over 60 Indian firms have registered or opened shop and that attraction is not about to end. Though trade and bilateral ties dominated Ansari’s visit, Rwanda should also invest a lot in technology transfer. India is now the medical destination of choice, offering world class and affordable medical care. Silicon Valley in the US, the Mecca of information technology, is flooded by Indian brains. Small-scale manufacturing industries in India depend on locally designed products that have evolved from “Jua Kali” over the decades to compete on the world stage. The Made-in-Rwanda campaign should pick a leaf from that concept of continuous innovation and improvement of skills. This should tickle our curiosity on how the Indian education system works, but, most importantly, how their psych operates. Many young Rwandans have passed through Indian schools, but they are yet to unlock their potentials. With the bilateral avenues now widening, we should fish knowledge where we can and, if necessary, overshoot our targets. And India is that place.

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EDITORIAL: India should serve as Rwanda’s new Eldorado of knowledge