Yesterday, March 15, Rwanda joined the rest of the world to mark the World Consumer Rights Day and to highlight the need for consumer satisfaction and protection. The occasion is usually used to raise awareness of the public with regard to the rights of the consumer. Thanks to sound policies and legislation, the Government of Rwanda has helped create a business friendly environment and fostered competitiveness, with increased economic efficiency. This has immensely benefited consumers. However, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, some businesses have engaged in unfair practices, such as price fixing, speculative hoarding and collusive tendering. And Rwandan consumers continue to grapple with counterfeit goods and insufficient knowledge Such a state of affairs can be reasonably addressed if there was a national consumer protection policy. As such, there is need to expeditiously formulate and implement the policy in order to protect consumers, who should enjoy real value for money. Manufacturers and all service providers should play according to the rules, by offering quality products at competitive prices. The ultimate success of all the business reforms that our country is currently implementing lies in consumer satisfaction. Ends
