Rwandan join in Commonwealth week celebration—a time when the Commonwealth families of 54 nations celebrate the enterprising spirit which unlocks opportunities in small rural communities, large urban centres, businesses, governments and civil society.
This year’s celebration of Commonwealth day dubbed ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’ Kick started on March 11, 2013 at UK High Commissioner’s residence in Kigali, which saw local associations showcase their products.
The week-long event brought together envoys from Commonwealth countries accredited to Rwanda to celebrate the links they share as members of a diverse and dynamic global family, the Modern Commonwealth.
At the event, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda Benedict Llewellyn-Jones, said that this year’s theme reminds of the importance of striving to increase untapped opportunities through an entrepreneurial spirit.
Every year, on the second Monday in March, the Commonwealth Day is celebrated with a unique event in London’s Westminster Abbey, coordinated by the Royal Commonwealth Society.
“We invited the two associations to spread awareness among the Commonwealth business community of what they have achieved and to encourage some of them to consider raising their profile and to support their members,” Llewellyn-Jones.
The association of potters of Rwanda and a local crafts company, Coporwa and Gahaya Links, exhibited their artifacts to the guests.
The executive director of Coporwa Juvenal Sebishwi, said: “Our association consists of community of about 33,000 people from different parts of the country. We have been operating for over five years supporting our members and enabling them to sell their products.”
Janet Nkubana, the Gahaya Links managing director, said, “I am looking forward to expanding our market in commonwealth nations, especially in Europe. This is a good platform for us to expand our reach, because we have been exporting our products to the US only.”
The two associations expressed their gratitude for being given a platform to showcase their products to people from different countries.
Sebishwi, said:”This is a big opportunity for us to expand our market.”
The Commonwealth comprises of mainly former British colonies. Rwanda became the 54th member and second country that had no historical links to Britain, to join the group through State application during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Kampala. Mozambique was the first.
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