Packaging could be key to unlocking country's export potential

Rwanda's export receipts are set to increase if the government considers investing in research on packaging innovations, visiting business consultants from United Kingdom have observed.

The visiting consultants are part of the wider group of persons currently on a working visit to Rwanda spearheaded by UK conservative members of parliament.

Fiona Bruce, a Conservative Party Member of Parliament who led a delegation of 20 business consultants to Rwanda said investing in modern packaging and improving on creative design labels will help lift the face of local products.

"I am optimistic that Rwanda's exports will find their way to international markets because quality requirements is standard and is a fundamental issue", she said on Friday while concluding their visit where they trained 200 businesses in business management and development.

The legislator also pointed that there is much optimism in the country's economic growth which is an indicator of an unfolding transformation.

The Managing Director Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), Dr. Mark Cyubahiro told Business Times that efforts to help companies and businesses to improve on their packaging and labeling have been stepped up to increase on exports.

In the same drive to boost exports, government is upbeat that increased exports will assist in ensuring stronger economic performance.

"Rwanda's export sector has also performed well over the past twelve months with an export to GDP ratio of 10.9 percent in 2010 and this continues to make our economic performance consistently stronger", the Minister of Trade and Commerce Francois Kanimba said.

With Real Growth Domestic Product at 7 percent, the minister noted that the government has focused on delivering improved services for the business sector such as reforms within business laws that is meant to make doing business in Rwanda a lot easier.

Faustin Mbundu, the chairman of the Private Sector Federation (PSF), is confident that the private sector's contribution to the national budget is expected to increase substantially in the next budget.

"We would wish to take our contribution to the budget to the next level by investing all our efforts in trade development to become the true drivers of the Rwandan economy", the PSF Chief Executive Officer Rogers Munyampenda said.

He also noted that efforts to consolidate strategies aimed at ensuring easier access to market information, exposure to best trade practices and creating a conducive platform for business linkages within the private sector have been enhanced.

The article was written by Dias Nyesiga and
is distributed by The New Times via AllAfrica Global Media and Acquire Media.