Rwandan President, Paul Kagame and Alibaba Group Executive Chairman and Founder, Jack Ma have agreed to multiple bilateral initiatives to promote Rwanda’s economy through increased cross-border trade, tourism and capacity building to empower the growth of the country’s digital economy.
Today, the @RwandaGov & @AlibabaGroup are establishing the 1st eWTP (electronic world trade platform) in Africa. The eWTP will strengthen Rwanda's economy by promoting trade & tourism btw Rwanda and Chinese consumers. Watch it live on RBA https://t.co/iutbgOzDUA #eWTPAfrica
— Rwanda Development (@RDBrwanda) October 31, 2018
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place on October 31 in the capital city of Kigali during the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), the first in Africa thus far. The eWTP provides small and medium-sized enterprises with operational infrastructure, such as mobile payments, commerce logistics, cloud computing and skills training.
“The Electronic World Trade Platform opens up new frontiers in e-commerce and tourism for Rwanda, and will also boost the capacity and competitiveness of our entrepreneurs and business people,” said Kagame.
“I am delighted that Rwanda is the first eWTP partner in Africa, and I look forward to the development of an innovative digital economy here,” added Ma.
Under the eWTP agreement, the Alibaba Group will work with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to help Rwandan SMEs sell their products, including coffee and handcrafts, to Chinese consumers.
In addition, the Alibaba Group travel services platform, Fliggy, and the RDB will work together to promote Rwanda as a tourist destination through a Rwanda Tourism Store, where users can book flights, hotels and travel experiences, as well as a Destination Pavilion, where Chinese consumers can learn about the country’s tourism offerings, including its natural parks, through engaging video content.
