IF ONE took part in the Wielkopolska brand exhibition, which was organized on the occasion of ICT for Development, Education&Skills conference. The conference took place in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on 26-28 September 2018. The trip and exhibition were organized as part of the “Wielkopolska Regional Operational Program for the years 2014-2020”. Thanks to the participation in the exhibition and having its own stand, IF ONE had a unique opportunity to present solutions from a products’ line CreditOne aimed at institutions working in the area of microfinances. The guests on the stall were the representatives of institutions and organizations from Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana.
In addition to unquestionable benefits and business perspectives clarified after the stay in Rwanda, this trip allowed also for gaining a greater perspective on this part of Africa and overcoming stereotypes. Most of us associate Rwanda only with tragic events from 1994 when almost a milion of people were murdered due to ethnic reasons during 100 days of the conflict. Today, Rwanda is one of the most secure countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It is often said that this is Africa’s Switzerland. This country has been developing very dynamically in recent years. Between 2001 and 2014, the average increase was 9%. According to the World Bank, Rwanda is currently on the 41st position, leaving such countries as Italy, Belgium and Israel behind. Rwanda, having no access to valuable natural resources, focuses primarily on the development of modern technologies. Over 95% of Rwanda is covered by a 4G/LTE range. In many places the access to the Internet is carried out through fiber-optic networks. Companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon have placed their branches in Kigali. In addition, many other small companies operate in the areas of biomedicine, big data, cybersecurity, robotics and IoT infrastructure.
It seems that if we are to seriously think about the presence of Polish enterprises on the African market, considering the high activity of Asian companies, this is the last bell, and Rwanda can be a great bridgehead for expansion into other countries. The Marshal’s Office provides support for enterprises from Wielkopolska who want to develop their foreign activities. Information on planned missions and fairs can be found at the office’s website: http://www.iw.org.pl/.
