The Rwandan High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, has called for increased trade between Ghana and Rwanda.
Trade between Ghana and Rwanda is currently low compared to some countries outside Africa, a situation Dr. Kacyira believes could be reversed to enhance intra-African trade among countries on the continent.
Speaking to journalists at a breakfast meeting in Accra, she said Rwanda has drawn positive lessons from the genocide that killed thousands of people in 1994 and is ready to trade with other African countries through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that will commence in January 2021.
“Ghana produces the best cocoa in the world and Rwandans consume a lot of chocolate, but most of our chocolates are imported from Switzerland,” she said, adding that Rwanda also produces some the best organic pesticide that goes to Europe before coming back to Africa.
Outlining some measures that could be embarked upon to enhance trade between the two countries Dr. Kacyira said it is time for African countries to take advantage of the AfCFTA to remove all the blockages to trade on the continent.
“I am very optimistic about the AfCFTA. Let us look at the positives it will bring to countries on the continent. It is a good thing that the secretariat is located in Ghana. It shows that Ghana wants it to work. We are all committed,” she said.
Dr. Kacyira said she has already met the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, and has pledged Rwanda’s commitment to helping make it a success.
“My president and my country have committed to the AfCFTA, and I believe all the African countries that sign on to it are committed,” she said.
Recommending some trade areas that could be explored by the two countries, she stated that Ghanaian fabrics are a favourite of many people in Rwanda.
She added that Rwanda also produces some of the best coffees in the world, which could be imported to Ghana to boost agribusiness on the continent.
“Africa can focus on trading in agriculture to transform the continent,” she said, adding that Rwanda is a land-locked country that could also trade in sea-food from Ghana.
Dr. Kacyira announced that consulate of the Rwanda High Commission will be opened in Ghana next week.
