Crowe Rwanda, a member firm of Crowe Global has opened its offices in Kigali, the firm was jointly started by Mr. Cephas Osoro from Crowe COR LLP in Kenya, Ahmed Bholim, Arfaan Bholim and Arshad Bholim from Crowe Uganda with support of the sister company Horwath HTL – Rwanda. The latter has been operating in Rwanda since 2012 and has worked in numerous projects related to tourism and hospitality in the country.
Crowe Global is the ninth largest network of independent accounting and consultancy firms in the world that was founded in 1915 and currently has presence in 146 countries globally.
Crowe Rwanda is a client-centric firm with a goal of giving the best quality service to their clients and maintain their reputation as the ninth largest accounting network in the world.
The primary service lines of the firm are Audit, Tax, Advisory and Business Process Outsourcing.
Arshad Bholim, the International Liaison Partner of Crowe Rwanda, Uganda and Seychelles says that the company was attracted to the Rwandan market because of the potential it possesses.
International Liaison Partner of Crowe ,Arshad Bholim
"We realized that the Rwandan market is unique in its own perspective, simply because it is government driven economy, with established machinery and a sterling reputation to promote local and foreign direct investment,” he said.
"Everything is in order and the government is promoting investments through the Rwanda Development Board making the environment conducive for business,” he noted.
He added that Rwanda is also strategically positioned with a young population, right in the heart of Africa, facilitating expansion plans of any business to any location in Africa.
Bholim who is a professional tax lawyer with a background in accounting, says that his firm is coming to Rwanda to train businesses on record-keeping services, because it is one of the hindrances of development in African businesses.
"Most African businesses suffer to get loans and funding because they do not have good record-keeping mechanisms. This discourages NGO’s and other financiers from granting finance or funding because they cannot justify our financial statements, so why don’t we work together to change that to support local businesses?” he wondered.
"So, what we’re coming to do is opening doors to businesses, so working with us is a smart decision that will give our clients a lasting value”.
About Horwath HTL (Hotel, Tourism and Leisure) Corporate
For their operations in Rwanda, Crowe will be working with Horwath HTL which is the leading international hotel and tourism consultancy firm currently with 50 offices in 40 countries globally.
Managing Director of Horwath HTL, Franka Mustaff during the inteview. / Craish Bahizi
Horwath HTL opened its doors in 1915 by two Hungarian brothers who migrated to the US and started a business of providing accounting services to hotels.
After the First World War and the great depression, the network diversified into accounting and tax advisory services, until it became a global business.
The company has expanded its footprint in the region since opening an office in Rwanda in 2012, with branches in Kampala and Nairobi and projects in EAC and other countries on the African continent.
Frank Mustaff, the Managing Director of Horwath HTL in East Africa welcomed the venture of Crowe in Rwanda, saying that this is a good market for consultancy services.
"This is a very good market for Crowe, because as the businesses are recovering after the pandemic, the tourism industry among other businesses will need support and advisory that Crowe is providing,” he noted.
"And businesses are also getting back on track with the easing of Covid-19, changes will be necessary. In making changes, all businesses will need to make active, clever and smart business decisions,” he added.
Mustaff also commends the development of Rwanda’s hospitality sector in the last few years, saying that when he came to Rwanda in 2012, there were few hotels, but much has grown as of today, with more internationally recognized brands joining the market.
Since 2012 Horwath HTL has successfully conducted tourism and business development projects in the region, according to officials at the firm.
Among the projects they have worked with include consultancy services for the development of Tourism Sub-Master Plans for Eastern Province, Heritage Corridor, Kivu Belt and Gishwati-Mukura Tourism Sub Master Plan among others.
Horwath HTL is also an implementing partner of the Hanga Ahazaza project funded by MasterCard Foundation.
Sandrine Umwizerwa, a tour operator and owner of Beautiful Rwanda Tours is one of the beneficiaries of this initiative.
She commends their activities adding that the company has a wide range of experience in the sector, hence providing effective services.
"I had a small project and I presented it to them, seeking consultancy services. After getting my idea, they first helped me map out the strategic areas where it can be implemented,” he recounts.
On top of that, she added, they conducted a market research for her in the areas to get enough details and clear picture of the project implementation process.
"Now my company has grown from one to eight employees in just a year”.