Skills development and fostering partnerships topped the agenda of the Africa Tech Summit which closed in Kigali yesterday.

The two-day summit convened over 500 entrepreneurs and business representatives from across the globe.

Top on the agenda was how to materialise ideas into feasible business enterprises, developing skills and building consumer confidence with regard to new ideas and products.

According to the organisers, it has become a norm for every tech or business summit for startups to solve the problem of access to investment capital which is rarely the main challenge.

In terms of skills development, entrepreneurs were introduced to different projects which are to help them better their skills. Emmanuel Kwizera

Andrew Fassinidge, founder of Africa Tech Summit, said that the second edition was different as it sought to create opportunities for entrepreneurs and business representatives to see how they can turn ideas into feasible businesses.

"The essence of the Africa Tech Summit is to bring together investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs in the area of technology. The second edition was looking at how entrepreneurs can materialise their ideas into sound businesses through building relationships and closing skills gap,” he said.

The summit also created a good platform for different Rwandan entrepreneurs to gain insights into trends and practices in other markets.

Tony Adesina, Founder and Chief Executive of Gura, a Rwanda-based firm behind the e-mobile ride-share transport system with a goal to disrupt transportation, said that participation at the summit was a chance to network.

"We were participating in this summit to link and network with other entrepreneurs and business representatives as well as showcase our clean eco-friendly transport solution as we are eyeing to enter other African cities smart,” he said.

Some representatives of global firms were also in attendance to seek partnerships and business opportunities in Rwanda.

Prasanth Qumar, the Director-Business Development at Dial Technologies, a technology company from Morocco, said that he had come to understand Rwandan market and look out for investment opportunities.

"I am here to understand more about the Rwandan market as well as look into ways my company can invest here,” he said.

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