MINICOM pushes for an industry per district

The Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MINICOM) is set to table the industrial master plan and a policy on industrial development for cabinet approval. The industrial master plan aims to ensure that there is some form of industry set in every district in of the country.

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Ministry of Trade and Commerce (MINICOM) is set to table the industrial master plan and a policy on industrial development for cabinet approval.

The industrial master plan aims to ensure that there is some form of industry set in every district in of the country.

The reason for the establishment of the master plan is to promote the industrialization of the country.

According to the Ministry, the government is implementing the master plan by setting up a model industry in every province that will provide the design and entail all the requirements that the district industries will have.

"We are working with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Rwanda Environment Management Authority to sort out the environment issues,” said Antoine Ruvebana the Permanent Secretary in MINICOM.

The ministry official also said that the new policy industrial development comes at the right time since it will go hand in hand with industrial master plan for the industrialization.

The industrial policy will ensure that the districts own the establishment and development of these industries since it would be costly for the government.

"The development of the district industries will depend on what the district can produce better than other districts and specialize in it,” added Ruvebana.

However, the implementation of the master plan was delayed by unscrupulous consultants who were hired to over see the development of the plan.

According to the ministry, these consultants breached the contract and refunded the money they had been paid.

The problem was that they brought here a photocopy of the Singapore master plan which did not match with Rwanda’s national industrial plans.

Rwanda has now adopted the industrial master plan that is being used by the COMESA member states.

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