Skills critical for Made-in-Rwanda

Editor, RE: “Support Miss Rwanda’s plan to boost Made-in-Rwanda campaign” (The New Times, February 27). To the best of their actual knowledge, manufacturers may try to “ensure that they put quality and standards at the forefront of their operations”. However, a large part of that knowledge is expert knowledge specific to the domain of the enterprise and specific to the product and/or service that will be offered. And considering our very short history in manufacturing process, we are very short of those various expert kinds of knowledge. And yet, quality and standards of any product and/or services shouldn’t be improvised as they often are today. Therefore, instead of putting the entire burden on the shoulders of “poor” artisan manufacturers, wouldn’t it be wiser, as a collective priority, to put prime emphasis in carefully planning and methodically developing expert skills, and only in a few prioritised domains, products, and services? Otherwise, no matter how it will be promoted and by whom, the “Made-in-Rwanda” campaign will remain a mere slogan. No doubt this mind-setting boost is needed as well, but it would be more and quickly effective if at the same time substantiated with concrete, selected and well-orchestrated actions, starting with an expert knowledge acquisition scheme. Francois-Xavier Nziyonsenga

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Skills critical for Made-in-Rwanda