Kigali, 13 November 2014
President Kagame today received Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch Minister for Trade and Development who is in the country leading a high level delegation composed of Dutch business people intent on exploring areas of investment, mainly in Horticulture, Tourism and ICT.
After the meeting, the Dutch Minister said that Rwanda and the Netherlands transcended the donor-recipient relationship and were now looking towards being partners in business:
“We have always had a warm relationship with Rwanda and for that reason we have gone beyond the traditional donor-recipient relationship and that’s why I am here with 30 companies specialising in ICT, horticulture, logistics and others, looking for investment opportunities. But like in politics, in business too, you have to make contacts and build relationships before you sign the contracts. We see very good progress. We are enthusiastic to work together and learn from each other and share experiences with the objective of making Rwanda a strong economic force in the region.”
Minister Lilianne Ploumen said the conversation with President Kagame as well went beyond business to the general politics of the region like justice, regional integration and security.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo said the fact that Minister Minister Lilianne Ploumen has been a frequent visitor to Rwanda is indicative that the results are not far off. She said that once the companies establish in Rwanda, a lot would change as far as Rwanda’s economic landscape is concerned.