At a meeting aimed at giving Harlem business leaders an opportunity to discuss import and export opportunities, Rwandan officials provided some insight into the initiatives that were being pursued by their government since the tragic 1994 genocide.

Sponsored by the Global Trade and Technology Center, the Africa-America Institute and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, the dinner meeting was the first leg of a six-city U.S. tour by Rwandan officials in order to inform U.S. residents about the U.N. Millennium Goals and their relevance to Africa.

In an effort to acknowledge the rising tide of discontent with the lopsided benefits of globalization, several member governments of the United Nations have pledged to meet certain anti-poverty goals and targets established under the Millennium Declaration.

Romain Murezi, the Rwandan Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Research, affirmed that his country was progressing in its reconstruction efforts, with initiatives to reflect a diverse society and with education as the driving force behind their efforts.

With primary schools now free of charge, Rwanda boasts the highest enrollment in sub-Saharan Africa and places great emphasis on science and technology. Since 1994, the country has boosted its literacy rate from below 40 percent in the 1980s to more than 70 percent today.

With a population of 8 million in a country of some 25,000 square kilometers, Rwandan officials must address the challenges of a high population density and the country’s mountainous terrain. Some 91 percent of the population is subsistence farmers, with a mere seven percent involved in the service sector and two percent in industry. Emphasis is therefore placed on simple and appropriate technologies. One example given was the coffee washing stations that have greatly improved the preparation of the end product.

The handicrafts project, which is being promoted in collaboration with Macy’s, was cited as another attempt of the Rwandan government to promote exports at the grassroots level. However, according to Silas Lwakabamba, head of Kigali’s Institute of Science, Technology and Management, the country was aiming at attracting the higher levels of technology and had made some inroads in this regard.

The Swedish telecommunications company Teracom had already laid down more than 180 miles of fiber optic cable, while representatives from Microsoft, Cisco, and Sun Microsystems have made assessment visits to the country.

Lwakabamba referred to the advantages that India has gained from the call center industry, and cited the fact that Rwanda was essentially a bilingual country as a strong incentive for such industries to tap into the country’s potential. In his view, Rwanda was a good candidate for outsourcing operations, a message that the Rwandan government were seeking to communicate to large corporations.

The government has been adamant in adopting policies conducive to investment and the World Bank has provided assistance for the establishment of entrepreneurial development centers throughout the country. Computers will play a large role in promoting the country’s development in terms of enabling farmers to access state-of-the art information on best practices in farming and of providing Internet access to schools and the government sector.

The entrepreneurs from the Harlem community who attended the event expressed interest in learning the kind of investment opportunities in which partnerships may be developed.

The tourism and handicrafts sector were highlighted as areas that could be further pursued through intercultural travel relationships.

The meeting ended on a positive note and with the impression that Rwanda as a country is bent on promoting a united society, manifesting true reconciliation after a tragic era in its history.

The teaching of human rights has become an integral part of the schools curricula as the country sets out to design a brighter future for the Rwandan youth.