A total of 30 multi-sectoral Belgian private sector companies are expected in Rwanda to explore the potential and create partnerships with the Rwandan and East African Community market. The companies cut across various sectors, with the most representative being in Infrastructure and construction, water treatment sector, health sector as well as Information Technology sector. During a five-day visit which will end on March 31, the delegates are expected to tour different historical venues in Rwanda, share presentations from the business arena, conduct business-to-business networking, among other activities. This meeting had been postponed twice due to the impact of Covid-19 and the last mission to take place was four years ago. Eric Santkin, the Belgian Trade Commissioner, said that the objective of this mission is to strengthen trade between the two countries and to show the attractiveness of Rwanda to potential investors present during this mission. “We are looking forward to providing opportunities for collaboration between local and Belgian companies. We would like more people in the agro-food processing, environment and in the circular economy sectors, which will be the subject of a possible mission in the coming years.” The level of trade between the two countries has remained stable in the past, mainly pharmaceutical products that are exported from Belgium. However, moves have been made to bolster cooperation between both countries in the financial sector. In February 2021, Rwanda Finance Limited (RFL) and the Belgian Finance Centre (BFC) signed a partnership meant to, among other things, provide a platform for exchange, encouraging best practices and knowledge sharing in the fields of SME financing through diaspora investment and corporate governance. RFL is the agency whose responsibility is to promote and develop the Kigali International Financial Centre, an initiative that seeks to position Rwanda as a preferred financial jurisdiction for investments into Africa, as well as reform the domestic industry. RFL, Rwanda Development Board, The Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Health will be among other institutions and companies to set to comprehensively demonstrate what Rwanda has to offer, as well as the country’s areas of interest.
