Rwanda is set to highlight a range of investment opportunities during the upcoming Africa CEO Forum, scheduled for May 14–15, through a dedicated “Invest in Rwanda” session. The session, scheduled for the first day of the forum, will provide a platform for business leaders and policymakers to exchange insights on countries’ economic development strategies. ALSO READ: What's on the agenda of Africa CEO Forum? It will also highlight key sectors, the business environment, and both public and private investment opportunities across the continent. According to Michelle Umurungi, the Chief Investment Officer at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Rwanda aims to position itself as an efficient hub where ideas quickly turn into partnerships and investments. “Hosting the Africa CEO forum reinforces Kigali’s role as a gateway where deals are not only discussed, but actually initiated, structured, and accelerated. For us, this is about building a system where investment conversations can move faster into real projects,” she said. She explained that Rwanda’s contribution to the forum is built around three priorities: improving execution and investor confidence, supporting regional integration and value chains, and strengthening Kigali’s position as a hub for investment and high-value services. ALSO READ: Africa CEO Forum drives accommodation demand across Kigali Over the past two years, she said, Rwanda has attracted more than $5 billion in investment commitments, driven by reforms aimed at improving predictability and reducing the time it takes to do business. “Investors today are not only looking for opportunities. They are looking for predictability, confidence, and systems that allow them to move quickly. That is what we are focused on delivering,” she said. Priority sectors for investment Umurungi said key investment priorities are aligned with the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2). They include mining, agro-processing, tourism, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, financial services, digital services, as well as transport and logistics. “In mining and agro-processing, the focus is on value addition. We want to process more of what we produce locally so that we can create more jobs, build industries, and serve not only Rwanda but the wider region.” She also highlighted emerging opportunities in life sciences and pharmaceuticals, supported by initiatives such as Kigali Innovation City and a planned life sciences park. “This is a sector we are actively building. We are creating the infrastructure for research, development, and manufacturing, especially in pharmaceuticals and vaccines, to position Rwanda as a regional hub for health innovation,” she added. Rwanda is also expanding in digital and business services, with global firms such as Teleperformance recently committing to establish operations in the country. Expected outcomes Rwanda aims to enable participants to leave with a strong sense that Kigali is a reliable and efficient place to do business, and that Rwanda offers real, structured opportunities for investment across multiple sectors. “The “Invest in Rwanda” session is where we present our priority sectors more clearly, engage directly with investors who are aligned with those opportunities, and ideally move some of those conversations into real partnerships and commitments,” Umurungi noted. The Africa CEO Forum is expected to bring together 2,800 participants from over 70 countries, including heads of state, chief executives, investors, and policymakers, under this year’s theme: “Scale or fail: Why Africa must embrace shared ownership.”
