MarketLinked programme aims to help companies grow trade within EAC.
Executives from eleven carefully selected Rwandan manufacturers arrived in Kampala on Sunday 2 March as part of a high level Sales Mission organised by Traidlinks and the Rwandan Development Board as part of their MarketLinked programme. Each Rwandan company will have individual one to one meetings with a range of Ugandan businesses at the Ugandan companies’ offices.
MarketLinked is sponsored by TradeMark Africa as part of its mission to increase the speed of EAC trade integration. Trademark East Africa funds similar MarketLinked support for exporters in Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania, while Ugandan companies are assisted with funding from Irish Aid. (Ugandan companies will go on sales mission to Bujumbura in May).
The Rwandan companies hope to introduce a wide range of products to Uganda. They include processed food and beverages including porridge, fresh dried and powdered mushrooms, chilli oil condiments, juices and milk, organic pyrethrum-based insecticides and insect repellents, LED energy saving lights, furniture, granite tiles and surfaces, high quality chalk for schools, well-branded liquid soaps and paper items and high quality branded and organic tea. Some products like Inyange and Akabanga are known in Uganda but seek wider market penetration.
Ugandan companies, to whom the Rwandan products were shown during preparatory market research, unanimously viewed the products with high regard and interest, commenting generally on their good quality and presentation.
Mrs Florence Kata, Executive Director of Uganda Export Promotion Board has praised this initiative that has already been successful for Ugandan companies saying “It is important for companies in all our member countries of the East African Community to formally make contact with their counterparts across the community to form sustainable business partnerships”.
The MarketLinked model was first applied by Traidlinks in Partnership with Uganda Export Promotion Board in 2009 and since repeated eight times for Ugandan exporters. Altogether more than 60 Ugandan companies were connected to buyers in Nairobi, Mwanza, Kigali, Bujumbura and W. Kenya with millions of dollars of business already flowing. The Rwandan Development Board hopes for similar positive results for this mission.
Diane Sayinzoga, Mission Leader from the Rwandan Development Board – Export Division, noted that growing exports is a key priority for the Rwandan government. She believes that Rwandan products will be well received by Ugandan consumers. “I hope that this will be the start of many successful missions to sell to our Ugandan and other neighbours. We see enormous potential for growth in trade between our countries” she said.
The mission runs until March 5th.
For Editors’ background:
The Rwanda Development Board [RDB] is a Rwandan government institution with the mission to fast track economic development in Rwanda by enabling private sector growth through actions which include working with and addressing the needs of companies of all sizes (large, SMEs) and both local and foreign investors. (www.rdb.rw)
Trademark East Africa is a cost-effective regional aid delivery mechanism established to focus on building long-term East African capacity for regional integration, including amongst others, supporting business environment improvement, regional integration efforts and capability enhancement at both strategic and company level. (www.trademarkea.com)
Traidlinks is an Irish non-profit organisation set up to bring innovative thinking to enterprise development in East Africa. Traidlinks operates an Integrated Export Development Programme under the brand MarketLinked.
MarketLinked is an initiative by Traidlinks to help forge business ties between manufacturing companies and other businesses in the East African Community. It capitalises on the opportunities for intra-regional trade and business arising from the EAC Common Market. MarketLinked primarily is an initiative to advance regional economic integration which stimulates economic growth, believing that economic growth fosters creation of work opportunities. It assists competitiveness enhancement through business and sales development among EAC SMEs leading to greater trade flows. (www.traidlinks.ie)
Uganda Export Promotion Board [UEPB] is the official trade promotion body of the Ugandan government under the Ministry for Trade Industry and Co-operatives.
Further details on MarketLinked can be obtained from Mr. Robert Moodie, Deputy Country Director, at Traidlinks, Kampala.
Source: TradeMark Africa (TMA)
TradeMark Africa (TMA) is an aid-for-trade organisation that was established with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. TradeMark Africa (TMA) operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, UK, and USA. TradeMark Africa (TMA) works closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations.
