Rwanda to host EAC High-Level Manufacturing Business Summit

Feb 23, 2017

The summit will take place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali

Rwanda is to host the 2nd high-level East African Manufacturing Business Summit and Exhibition (EAMBS) organised by the East African Community (EAC).

The summit will take place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali from May 23 to 25, 2017, according to the EAC secretariat in Arusha.

The three-day conference themed "Harnessing the Manufacturing Potential for Sustainable  Economic Growth" will bring together top executives in the manufacturing and agri-business sectors, policy and decision makers, as well as key financial institutions from Africa and beyond to dialogue and explore opportunities for investment in manufacturing and agri-business in the EAC region.

The EAMBS will include an exhibition where investors, enterprises, researchers and academia will collectively showcase new products and services as well as exhibit the latest advances in manufacturing technology and innovation, particularly those with relevance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

The official opening of the Summit is expected to be presided over by the President of the Republic Rwanda, Paul Kagame.

Speaking  ahead of the Manufacturing Summit, the Director of Productive Sectors at the EAC Secretariat, Jean Baptiste Havugimana, said  the Summit which is co-organized by the EAC Secretariat, the East African Business Council (EABC) and Government of Rwanda, will provide a strategic platform for an extensive and intensive dialogue on opportunities and challenges of industrialisation in the region.

Havugimana noted  that Summit is a platform borne out of the recognition that sustainable economic growth and development in East Africa is unattainable without creating a vibrant and diversified manufacturing sector.

"The Manufacturing Business Summit marks an important turning point for the future of manufacturing in the region," he added.

The 2nd EAMBS is expected to create greater awareness about the opportunities and challenges arising from the Common Market Protocol for the regional manufacturing sector. It is supposed to serve as a platform not only for initial business contacts, but also for exchange of ideas on how to address the existing challenges in the regional integration process.

The 2nd high-level Manufacturing Business Summit and Exhibition is the follow up of the 1st Manufacturing Business Summit and Exhibition which took place at the Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo in Kampala, Uganda in 2015.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});