Berlin, 30 October 2018
President Kagame today attended the ‘G20 Investment Summit – German Business and the Compact with Africa (CwA) Countries’ where he delivered remarks in his double role as the incumbent Chairperson of the African Union and President of Rwanda.
Held in Berlin under the Patronage of Dr. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the G20 Investment Summit brought together German businesses and CwA countries to explore investment opportunities under the framework of the G20 Partnership with Africa.
During the event, German investors presented flagship projects currently undertaken in the CwA countries and explored further opportunities on the African Continent.
In his address, President Kagame highlighted that the G20 Compact with Africa comes at the right time to reinforce Africa’s enterprise-based development consensus.
“We have to challenge ourselves to go beyond the usual routines. We fully share Chancellor Merkel’s impatience to achieve measurable and sustainable results through new projects. After all, the best way to speed up business climate reform is to attract more global firms to Africa, and small- and medium-sized businesses as well. This produces a demonstration effect, which in turn generates even more productive investment. In other words, a virtuous cycle,” President Kagame said.
The G20 Compact with Africa was initiated under the German G20 Presidency to promote investment in Africa. Its primary objective is to increase attractiveness for private investment through substantial improvements of the macro, business, and financing frameworks.
The initiative is demand-driven and open to all African countries. So far, 11 African countries have joined: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia.
On the sidelines of the event, President Kagame met with the Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, and held bilateral talks with German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Markel.