UK – Rwanda Business Forum 2024

January/February 2024 saw me in Kigali, Rwanda, attending the first UK-Rwanda business forum. It’s been an incredible experience to be in Rwanda and to see for myself what’s going on in the country.

I’ve visited many African countries but this was my first time in Rwanda and my lasting impression will be how clean, tidy and efficient things are here. There’s no litter, and I mean none – plastic bags were banned a while ago and the evidence is that there really are none anywhere. I’ve seen people sweeping away just a few fallen leaves from the streets. There’s a real sense of community here and it’s evident that everyone is taking care of their country.

From a logistical point of a view, the direct flight from London Heathrow to Kigali was great and with no visa required to enter the country, it couldn’t have been easier. Obtaining a visa for some African countries can be often be tricky, time consuming and expensive.

The overwhelming sense here is that Rwanda has a mission and objective and this is to create wealth in the country. They have plan in place to achieve this with, such as the KIFC Kigali International Financial centre which attracts investment into the country.

If you wish to set up a business here, it can be done within 6 hours! Wow! They really do want us to set up and invest here.

It’s the land of a 1000 hills and having spent most of a day sitting in a car looking out of the window, I can exactly why that’s the case. From a cycling point of view it’s a panacea if you like hill climbing!

My first visit to Rwanda will not be my last – it’s been fantastic and the UK-Rwanda business forum has helped me to meet new contacts and clients