Rwanda Development Board (RDB) will Friday host the seventh edition of the Rwanda Business Excellence Awards, a platform that seeks to recognize businesses that have demonstrated excellence, and also proved to have significantly contributed to the country’s economic transformation. The event will be held on Friday, January 31 at Kigali Convention Centre and it will recognize businesses that stood out in 2019. According to RDB, the awards are aimed at acknowledging and celebrating efforts made by local companies in promoting a sustainable and prosperous economy. In an earlier media briefing, RDB CEO, Clare Akamanzi underscored that the main objective of the awards is to encourage competitiveness among private sector enterprises and promote an innovative business culture in the country. “We believe so much that one good business should be awarded. If investors have responded to our call to do business in Rwanda, and have demonstrated excellence, they should be recognised. We also believe if the business community share their best practises, it should help increase competitiveness in the business sector” she pointed out. Akamanzi also observed that the culture of awarding and recognising outstanding performance will help improve overall performance as well as elevate the standards of doing business in the country. This year’s awards ceremony is under 11 categories covering key economic sectors of the country. According to the organisers, both local and foreign companies that invested in Rwanda have the opportunity to be awarded. Additionally, those who stand a chance to win are those whose businesses have created decent and quality jobs, demonstrated innovation and have the evidence of having contributed to value addition in the local business sector. The categories include; Investor of the Year, Emerging Investor of the Year, Innovator of the Year, SME of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Others are; Service Provider of the Year, Emerging Made in Rwanda Enterprise of the Year, Made in Rwanda Enterprise of the Year, Emerging Exporter of the Year, and Exporter of the Year. Last year, I&M Bank was awarded the Investor of the Year, while Africa Improved Foods was recognized as the Exporter of the Year.
