KIGALI - RWANDA has been given an opportunity to showcase its business and cultural potential in the forthcoming Shanghai 2010 Expo which is slated for May 1 in the Chinese city. The Expo which is arguably the biggest exhibition on the planet, will bring together over 242 countries from all corners of the world to showcase a wide range of products, cultures and development trends, which will be exhibited in pavilions created for each country. In his speech during a cocktail ceremony organized to highlight the progress of the preparations at the Chinese Embassy, Emmanuel Hategeka, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, pointed out that Rwanda stands to benefit much from the expo “We stand to gain a lot from this expo, our traders will showcase their products and we shall also have a chance of showcasing our culture, our journey to economic recovery and the prospects ahead,” Hategeka said. He added that on top of showcasing Rwanda’s products of coffee and tea, other economic and social sectors will benefit from this huge publicity where projects like the Kigali Master Plan will be showcased. He also pointed out that this expo positions the country to gain from exchanges of ideas, cultures and trends on modelling of communities in the cities. The 184 day expo is expected to attract over 70 million people and other international organizations; making Shanghai Expo 2010 the biggest in history. In his Speech during the ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda, Sun Shuzhong, congratulated Rwanda for being one of the countries in Africa invitedfor the exposition. “It’s visible how far Rwanda has come. It is a country which has had a bad history. On top of providing an opportunity to showcase its products and cultures in this expo Rwanda will have a chance of showing the world its new image and road to recovery,” he observed. The theme of the Expo is ‘Better City, Better life’ and all involved parties will seek to make this exposition a platform for displaying historical experience while exchanging innovative ideas. Ends
