|
 |
New Delhi:
Rwanda, a Commonwealth nation in eastern Africa that is trying to
evolve as a nascent democracy, wants the Indian government to get
more of its dynamic companies to invest in the continent and is
scouting for joint ventures in education, energy, health and other
economic sectors.
"The Indian government needs to look at seriously projecting the
country as a place of hope and encouraging more Indian companies
to go to Africa," Vincent Karega, the visiting minister of
infrastructure, told IANS in an interview.
The minister, accompanied by a 15-member business delegation, is
on a 10-day long visit to India, during which he has already been
to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. His last leg is a four-day stay in
India's technology capital of Bangalore.
"India is an inspiration in the way it has become a key global
player," said Karega, adding, "This visit is a message that
countries from the South, which have shared historical
backgrounds, should work together".
Rwanda is trying to come out of years of civil war that claimed
the lives of a millon people. A country of 10.7 million, it is
especially interested in capacity building to foster
entrepreneurship among its people. "We want Rwandans to come here
to India and be exposed and learn from the business environment
here," he said.
Karega is highly impressed by the spirit of entrepreneurship in
India. "In Africa, there is a perception that you can start a
business only if you have lots of money. But among Indians, they
start with a small fund and family support and within a few years,
they are in charge of companies with a hundred people. I want to
encourage that kind of mindset," he said.
Ticking off the areas where he would like collaboration with
India, Karega said he was looking at the areas of energy, health
and education and mining.
During his visit, Karega met with the union renewable energy
minister, Farooq Abdullah. "He (Abdullah) talked about ways to tap
into opportunities in this sector in rural areas," said Karega.
He was interested in learning about India's major plans in
expansion of solar and bio-gas plants, in which the south Asian
country had developed considerable expertise. The visiting
minister was also impressed with the concept of mini-hydropower
plants which has been advocated by the renewable energy ministry.
At the meeting, Abdullah offered to bring the benefits of India's
knowledge in renewable energy to Rwanda. "The Indian minister
committed to do some pilot projects in one or two villages in
Rwanda," said Karega.
India is already investing in Rwanda's energy sector, with a line
of credit of $80 million to fund the country's largest ever
hydropower dam for 28 megawatt on the Nyabarongo river. A
consortium of Indian private company Angelique International and
state Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, is executing the project,
which will be completed in 2012.
The Indian private sector is also showing interest in Rwanda, with
Zyus Cadila committed to opening a pharmaceutical plant in India,
said the Rwandan minister. "Essar wants to come to look at
prospects for geo-thermal energy and gold mining," he added.
Besides, the large Tata conglomerate is being tapped to conduct
urban transport studies in the country.
He pointed out that there were about 1,000 Rwandan students
studying in various Indian institutions. He said collaborations
with Indian educational institutions to upgrade his country's
educational infrastructure would be highly desirable.
"There is a lot of things that we can do together," said Karega.
(Devirupa Mitra can be contacted at devirupa.m@ians.in )
|
Comment on this article
|
Quick links