Editor,

As part of the effort to develop their own country, Rwandans in the Diaspora have over the years initiated or been part of several initiatives aimed at eradicating poverty, starting from their own families back home to those at the national level.

This has been done through direct investments, remittances and contributions to national causes.

Rwanda is a land locked country and therefore highly affected by limited access to international markets, global trade and investment opportunities. The Diaspora community provides a good opportunity to increase Rwanda’s networking with the international community to promote trade and investment through contacts they make in countries they have settled in.

The Rwandan Diaspora has taken the lead in actively exploiting these opportunities.

The July holiday season (summer) brings a significant number of Diaspora members and their families back home.

Rwandan Diaspora members through the Rwandan Diaspora Global Network (RDGN) vowed to be part of the development of our country, and this is a duty to which we are all bound, irrespective of where we may be.

The Diaspora community through networking has also helped promote trade between Rwandan and their host countries using their knowledge of Rwandan and foreign markets. Indigenous Rwandan business people have benefited from opportunities opened up through their contacts within members of the Diaspora community abroad.

In collaboration with RDGN, the DBI (Diaspora Business Incubator) organized a study tour in the spirit of promoting trade and "Made in Rwanda” campaign.

Diaspora members visited Kinazi Cassava Plant, Positivo BGH, a Rwandan company, assembling laptops and other electronic items and the Women Imports and Exports Network (WIEN).

The goal was to learn and observe firsthand how some of these Made in Rwanda brands are produced as well as gain awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with the production.

This will allow them to effectively act as ambassadors of these products in the respective nations they live in.

Alice K. Cyusa,Chairperson of the Rwandan Diaspora Global Network (RDGN)