INVESTING IN RWANDA

INVEST

IN RWANDA

Rwanda offers an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to conduct business in East Africa. The country boasts a burgeoning middle class, and a population of over 11 million people. Since 2004, the Rwandan economy has experienced consistently high growth, with an average above 7% year on year increase in GDP. Rwanda is making great strides towards its Vision 2050, which seeks to transform the country into a high-performing upper-middle income country.

Doing business in Rwanda is straightforward, and following years of substantial government investment and policy innovation, the country now ranks as one of Africa’s leading MICE destinations. Rwanda is a participant member of several intergovernmental regional organizations including the East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), bringing together over 160 million and 430 million people respectively. The country also boasts one of the most streamlined business registration procedures worldwide, with the potential to register businesses within six hours through the Rwanda Development Board’s One Stop Center for investment. As recently as 2015, the Government of Rwanda revised the laws surrounding investment, with the aim of encouraging direct foreign investment and driving economic growth across a range of key strategic sectors including energy, transport, affordable housing, ICT, and financial services. This revision included the introduction of a range of new incentives that further underline Rwanda’s position as a future business hub. Benefits to investors include visas, work permits, utilities, land and construction permits, and tax-related services, including exemptions from capital gains tax, and zero corporate income tax for companies planning to relocate their headquarters to Rwanda.

In line with Rwanda’s strong commitment to environmental sustainability, all investment projects with the potential to affect the environment are required to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to authorization. Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, is widely recognized as the cleanest city in Africa, and sports a high level of political security and public safety, ensuring a premium environment in which investors can do business. c

KIGALI CONVENTION CENTER

Just six kilometers from Kigali International Airport, Kigali Convention Center consists of the convention center itself, the 5-star, 292-room Radisson Blu Hotel Kigali, and 346,600 square feet of available office space at Kigali Information Technology Park.

Kigali Convention Center can accommodate up to 5000 attendees between the seven conference halls and the striking main auditorium, which reflects the architecture of the traditional King’s Palace. The Center will host the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on the week of 21 June 2021.

The Radisson Blu Hotel Kigali and Kigali Convention Center has won the awards for Africa’s Leading Conference Hotel and Rwanda’s Leading Conference Hotel at the World Travel Awards the last three years in a row.