A few year’s ago, on a warm and sunny morning in India’s capital city, New Delhi, I was attending the AFRICA CONCLAVE , which is jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Export – Import Bank of India. This annual event has grown over the years, to become a ‘ must attend’ program for any individual or organization either already doing business or planning to do business with the African continent. As the then Representative of the Rwanda Development Board in India, it was definitely imperative for me to be present there. Rolling back the magic carpet of time , I can vividly recall what exactly happened the moment my RDB business card was presented to introduce myself to the then Minister of the Government of India , who was the Chief Guest at the Conclave. “Rwanda completely bowled me over ! “ Yes, that was the spontaneous and precise remark of the Minister, who had recently returned from a VISIT RWANDA. Those words still resound as sweet music to my ears, even after such a long passage of time. For sure, this beautiful land of a thousand hills will continue to bowl over very many Indians, whether they come to the country on business, for leisure, to attend a MICE event or even as part of the religious tourism circuit with a pilgrimage to the holy land of Kibeho. Rwanda is open for business Whether a company is a small or medium enterprise or whether it is a giant organization , Rwanda’s doors are open wide for Indian businessmen to come and explore the numerous opportunities that exist across a broad spectrum of sectors and segments. It is the country’s good governance , coupled with the ease of doing business and zero tolerance to corruption which beckons Indian companies not just to VISIT RWANDA, but to actually establish themselves here. It is my ardent desire that many of my fellow Indians who are part of the visiting delegation , led by none other than the Honorable Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, will be bowled over and will explore avenues and opportunities of forging partnerships and establishing themselves in this country. The beauty of Rwanda lies in her people Countries from all over the world are vying with each other to attract Indian investors. But the beauty of Rwanda lies in her warm , friendly and endearing people who give the country the “ cutting edge “ so to say and convince Indian businessmen to choose Rwanda as the preferred investment destination in Africa. Mahatma Gandhi University’s foray into the Rwandan market Education is always an important factor in nation building. Hundreds of Rwandan students are presently studying in Indian Universities. The Government of India has a very generous “ Scholarship Programme” which enables Rwandan youth to come to different Universities in the country for tertiary education. These can be applied for through the Indian High Commission in Kampala. However, it will not be long before an Indian High Commission will be up and running in Kigali itself. During my long association with Rwanda, the most satisfying experience was to get the Mahatma Gandhi University to invest in Rwanda. This University has helped to build strong ties right from the student level between India and Rwanda. With a sprawling campus in Kabuga, we can look forward to developing a robust and sustainable partnership which will foster better understanding among our youth who will, in any case, be the leaders of tomorrow. India offers Rwanda superlative healthcare INCREDIBLE INDIA has been offering , over the years, superlative healthcare at competitive prices. As I write this story, the wife of a very dear friend of mine is right at the Indian High Commission in Kampala to secure a medical visa for her mother. And it is without any doubt our High Commission does go out of its way to support and assist Rwandan Visa applicants. Speciality hospitals in all major cities in India offer Rwandan nationals the highest levels of expertise and world class treatment for various medical conditions. Indian doctors and nurses are well trained to cater to Rwandan nationals, with some hospitals even engaging Rwandan interns in their international marketing and nursing departments. Such initiatives will increase substantially, going forward. “ The world needs to learn from Rwanda ” Within a short span of just six months, Dr. ( Fr.) Clifton Lobo, a pastor from Mumbai, led two groups of pilgrims from Mumbai with a total number of sixty eight people , primarily senior citizens , travelling to the holy land of Kibeho in the Southern Province of the country. It was Dr. Lobo who remarked that the world needs to learn from Rwanda which has made unbelievable progress over the last two decades under the able guidance and astute leadership of His Excellency , President Paul Kagame. The famous Indian Poet, Rabindranath Tagore’s Prayer “Lord God, make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed, for Thee to fill with music.”May God shower abundant blessings on Prime Minister Modi and every member of the Indian delegation during their VISIT RWANDA, so that all meetings and deliberations will be simple and straight like flutes of reed which will then be filled with lilting music. Indo – Rwandan ties will soon be poised for phenomenal growth bringing much joy , happiness and millions of smiles to the people of two great nations – India and Rwanda.
