Expo created 1000 jobs

The recently concluded fourteen-day International Trade Fair, employed more than 1000 young people who earned wages of between Rwf 7000 and Rwf 20,000 a day.According to the Chairman of the Private Sector Federation (PSF), Faustin Mbundu, the expo attracted a record number of close to 500 exhibitors from 20 countries.He said between 12,000-14,000 people visited the trade fair during week days and between 20,000 to 30,000 visited during the weekends.“The cornerstone of the economic policy of Rwanda is private sector-led investment. This means we people in the private sector should take advantage of boosting this sector socially and economically,” Mbundu said.Tom Mugira, who spoke on behalf of the Rwandan exhibitors, called on the Rwandan business community to take part in regional trade exhibitions as a way of promoting their products to the East African Community (EAC) and beyond.He said the exhibition works as an opportunity to showcase their products and make extra sales. He was speaking during the closure of the 15th International Trade fair at Gikondo Expo grounds, on Thursday.“This expo has not only been a platform for job creation for Rwandans, but it has also helped local traders learn from counterparts on how best we can improve the quality of our products and services, and I believe the experience gained will enable us to take our respective businesses to another level.” Mugira requested PSF and the government to give them a helping hand to participate in regional exhibitions.Speaking on behalf of foreign exhibitors, John Tumwesigye said, this year’s expo was better organised and coordinated compared to the previous exhibitions.“I would like to extend a vote of thanks to PSF and the Rwandan government for the 24 hour services we received at Gatuna border. It enabled us to increase our volume of trade during the expo period which was a remarkable improvement,” Tumwesigye said.He noted that limited space is one of the challenges the exhibitors experienced at the expo, saying there was need for the organisers to look for ways of expanding the area.Outstanding exhibitors in 12 categories were awarded prizes.. They included retail and distribution, handcraft sector, the agribusiness sector, hospitality sector, financial services sector, ICT sector, manufacturing and equipment sector and customer care.Bralirwa, the country’s leading soft drink and alcoholic beverages manufacturer, emerged the best overall exhibitor while the first runner-up was MTN Rwanda, the country’s mobile telecommunication giant.

National

Expo created 1000 jobs