WEDF and keeping an eye on the market

Rwanda has proved its worth as a suitable host for big global conferences over the past few years. And indeed the conferences are slowly becoming a normal occurrence and no longer a major interruption of other people’s lives. All the necessary infrastructure and conditions to spur the meetings, conferences initiatives and exhibitions (Mice) sub-sector is in place. Last week, I attended the World Export Development Forum that took place at the Kigali Serena Hotel. As proof of how Kigali is doing well regarding conference tourism, I also had an invitation for another conference around the same time, but I could only be in one place at a time. It is worth noting that Rwanda is the first African country to host the conference that attracted more than 500 delegates from different parts of the world. Nothing says Rwanda is ready for the big stage than such an endorsement. The general organisation of the conference was up to standard, and I want to believe that all those who participated learnt some valuable lessons or indeed brought valuable lessons to share with others. I can safely say I picked a few interesting lessons from the conference. Just before the conference started, I heard some people wondering why Rwanda was hosting it yet it is not a major exporting nation. The answer to such a question is quite simple; Rwanda’s ambitious future development path is no longer a secret. If there is a country on the move, then it’s Rwanda. Therefore, just like any traveller one needs to know where they are going and how they are going to get there. Rwanda is not a major exporting nation, but one that is willing to learn the ropes in the exporting business. It desperately needs the foreign exchange earnings necessary to fund the programmes meant to meet its Vision 2020 goals. If you have attended conferences before like yours truly, you learn that the key lessons come from the brief chats with colleagues and strangers during breaks or from remarks made in passing as the presentations tend to take on a more familiar tone. I, for example, learnt from a Kenyan journalist about the value of Rwandan tea and how it performs at the Mombasa tea auctions. I learnt from another colleague how Rwanda is doing well when it comes to pyrethrum growing. I also overheard plans for what I understood to be a pulping plant for fruit processing that will be the first in the region and would reduce the region’s reliance of Brazil for fruit concentrate. Still on the sidelines of the conference, I was made to understand that since Rwanda has limited land, there is potential for it to focus on value addition. This means that a fruit processing plant in Rwanda can be served with fruits grown in southern Uganda, eastern DRC or eastern Tanzania. In other words, for Rwanda to benefit from the export industry, it is better to focus on value addition so that the exports fetch money for their quality rather than quantity. All that needs to be done is to import the technology needed in processing different products to finished or semi-finished goods. I liked the fact that the conference had several business-to-business discussions where traders would exchange ideas and thus learn from each other. There were many successful business leaders from all over the world who had a lot to offer the rest of the participants. The decision to have a women’s forum was a smart one as Rwanda is one country where the value of women involvement in development is already institutionalised. Women make up a big percentage of the population and are more likely to invest their earnings in areas that help improve family welfare, thus boosting the general living standards of Rwandans. The last important lesson I picked was the advice from Arancha Gonzalez, the executive director of the International Trade Centre, who, during a press conference pointed out that one of the things she always tells business people is not to focus on what they want, but what the market wants. “Always start with what the market wants,” she said repeatedly. Indeed, when one wishes to succeed in business, say as an exporter, they need to carry out extensive research on what the market (their customers want). This message was reiterated by Janet Nkubana (Gahaya Links) who is well versed with exporting Rwandan goods to top-end American stores. In short, research followed by a determination to meet the demands of consistency in quantity and quality of your products is what every business person must keep in mind.

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WEDF and keeping an eye on the market