Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente has urged investors to take advantage of the favourable business environment in the country. Ngirente was speaking at the inauguration of a new packaging line at SKOL Breweries Limited in Kigali on Tuesday. The newly launched packaging line, according to officials is the most efficient filling plant in the region and comes at an additional investment of more than $10m. The new line will increase the bottling capacity from 450,000 hectolitres to more than a million hectoliters, a year. Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente in opening ceremony together with other officials. / Emmanuel Kwizera Different officials in group photo. / Emmanuel Kwizera Speaking at the event, Ngirente said that this was a milestone for the company and the country as it will help increase exports from Rwanda to other countries. “This inauguration is in line with the government’s Strategy for National Transformation (NTS) that aims at promoting industrialisation and obtaining a structural shift in the export base to high value goods and services with the goal of growing exports by 17 percent annually,” he said. NTS runs from 2017 to 2014. Ngirente also used the platform to lure more investors to make use of the conducive business environment of Rwanda. “As far as business is concerned, the 2019 World Bank Report on Doing Business ranked Rwanda the second easiest country in Africa and the 29th in the world. Therefore the government of Rwanda would like to encourage all investors to take advantage of the existing favourable business environment in Rwanda,” he said. “I would like to assure SKOL and other investors that the government of Rwanda will continue to improve the environment of operating a business in Rwanda,” he added. Ngirente also made the case for the Made in Rwanda policy, saying that the new filling plant comes at an “opportune moment” when the government is implementing the policy. Ivan Wulffaert the Managing Director of SKOL Breweries Limited, said that they decided to invest in Rwanda because it is a stable and secure growing economy with “rights and justice.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw
