From East African Business Week

There is optimism that the newly formed Rwanda Association of Manufacturers (RAM), will sharpen the competitiveness needed to increase the country’s exports.

Robert Baigamba, RAM’s first Chairman said emphasis will be put on increasing advocacy for the members to bring down costs of production which is hampering regional sales of Rwandan products.
“The  sector is facing a lot of challenges which could not be solved without an umbrella association which can  bring out one voice to lobby for a pool of  opportunities that are around us,”  he said during the launch.

The sector that has seen growth with the emerging of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that deal in processing and contribute around 13.9% to the country’s Growth Domestic Product.

However, manufacturers and processors have been crying foul over the increased costs of production, including  prices for raw materials and transport logistics which forces them to price their products.
“We are aware these challenges exist but we want to tackle the with researched information  from the studies we will conduct to help us provide a lasting solution,” Baigamba said.

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