Rwanda to Host Landmark Trade Development Forum
By Khalifa Hemed
Published August 18, 2024
A trade-development summit bringing together Heads of State, Government Officials, Development Partners, Multilateral Organisations and the Private Sector from 14 countries shall be held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, December 2-3, 2024.
The initiative of the Government of Rwanda and TradeMark Africa, the two-day event, held on the theme ‘Digital Trade’, is expected to spotlight innovative digital trade practices and technologies including the interoperability of digital payments, the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and Artificial Intelligence in trade processes, and how automation can support green trade initiatives. Discussions shall revolve around leveraging technology to streamline trade facilitation and enhance policy frameworks across Africa.
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Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Rwanda’s Minister for Trade and Industry says, “We are honoured to host the Trade Development Forum, symbolising our commitment to Rwanda’s and Africa’s economic development. We strive to realise the vision of a seamlessly integrated Africa under the leadership of our President, who has relentlessly championed the process, initiation and formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Initiatives like the Rwanda Electronic Single Window and Kigali dry port, are a testament to trade solutions that can overcome geographical challenges and enhance our trade capabilities.”
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On his part, David Beer, CEO of TradeMark Africa, says, “Africa’s economic prosperity is our business, “TradeMark is driven entirely by generating practical results to remove trade barriers and drive-up exports within and from Africa. While we have seen serious progress from a range of trade facilitation interventions in the last decade, such as reduced transport times by about a third across the Northern Corridor in East Africa, there is another big step forward to take. The 2024 forum will focus on propagating digitisation successes more widely and introducing cutting-edge technologies. We look forward to sharing lessons and presenting innovative ideas to help Governments and the private sector further drive down the cost and time of trade.”
Previous editions of Trade Development Forum were held in Kenya in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2019 and in Uganda in 2018.
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