Co-organized by the National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) and Enabel, this 4-day event that kicked off on 12 October 2021 in Kigali has brought together Rwandan and international companies and experts in animal feeds, poultry, piggery, stone, clay, bamboo and agri-by products to foster exchanges and knowledge transfers on various best practices, techniques, production processes and innovation.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Bert Versmessen said: “With the Belgian contribution in Urbanization and Agriculture sectors, Enabel is supporting the private sector around three main themes: Access to Technology, Access to Finance and Business Development Services”. He encouraged the Rwandan Private Sector to embrace the opportunities provided to them through NIRDA, and to use this forum to make innovation a key driver to help increase productivity, quality, and to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Government of Rwanda regarding “Made in Rwanda” products.

Officiating the event, the Permanent Secretary in Rwanda’s Ministry of Commerce, Yves Bernard Niyingabira, hailed the Kingdom of Belgium for their continued support in the economic development of Rwanda, more specifically in the promotion of industries engaged in the agriculture and urbanisation sectors. The National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) also commended the Kingdom of Belgium for the long-time partnership with the Republic of Rwanda and particularly its role in the national development.
NIRDA’s Director General, Christian Sekomo Birame said: “NIRDA is currently partnering with Enabel in supporting the private sector development, mainly in the construction and agriculture sectors, through our Open Calls Program.”

Participants included the different value chain actors, products manufacturers, processors, and technology sellers as well as other sector contributors and regulators who had the opportunity to network and further boost the Made in Rwanda value chains.
Universities students, government representatives as well as both PRISM (Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Small stock Market) and UEDI (Urban Economic Development Inititative) projects’ partners also took part in the event. Some participants were given the opportunity to visit local companies in order to better acquire practical knowledge and exchange on best practices.