Akamanzi is part of Rwanda’s delegation comprised of Government officials and members of the Private Sector Federation that attended Rwanda’s National Day celebrated on February 1st 2022 as part of the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to IGIHE, she has revealed that Rwanda participated in the international exhibition to market the country in terms of trade, investment, an addition to existing cordial relations between Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“First of all, we enjoy cordial relations with UAE and want to extend cooperation in many areas. We have come here to market the visibility of our country, trade, tourism and investment to many countries from across the world present here. That is why we are here,” Akamanzi said.
All the participating 192 countries are allowed to rent a pavilion or set up their own with unique features.
Akamanzi has explained that people visiting Rwanda’s pavilion receive explanation on investment opportunities available in Rwanda, the country’s digital advancement efforts and Visit Rwanda campaign among others.
“That is why we have come to showcase Rwanda’s attractions and available opportunities for investors willing to come to our country,” she said.
Each of the countries participating in Dubai Expo 2020 is given a day to showcase its uniqueness. On the visit to Dubai, Rwanda’s delegation is also expected to meet with investors from across the world participating in the exhibition.
The CEO of Bank of Kigali, Dr. Diane Karusisi has told IGIHE that the exhibition does not only provide a platform to showcase opportunities available in Rwanda but also an occasion to learn from others’ best practices to improve performance.
She revealed that Rwanda’s delegation interacted with different investors, which gives optimism that they might bring their investments to Rwanda in the future.
As she explained, there are many participants where some of them without information on Rwanda are desirous to know about the country.
“These discussions will lure some of them for touristic purposes as others bring their investment to help us develop our nation,” she said.
{{Capacity to host international events}}
Dubai Expo 2020 will run for six months from 1st October until 31st March 2022.
It one of biggest events that was expected to host more than 25 million participants.
Preparations of the exhibition expected to generate US$40 billion in profit took US$18 billion.
Akamanzi also underscored that Rwanda might be able to host similar events in consideration of set up infrastructures.
“We have built capacity to host mega conferences in Rwanda. We often hosted conferences at the African continental level but it is also possible for international events. The most important thing is to set up infrastructures reinforcing our capacity to host meetings. As far as I am concerned, we might be able to host similar events in coming days. We have capacity,” he noted.
The report of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in 2019, ranked Kigali City, the capital of Rwanda, the second most popular destination for Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) events in Africa.
{{Photos: Mucyo Serge}}
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