Attracting 💰Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Developing the ☕Coffee Supply Chain through Trade with Africa!

 

It is always extremely fascinating to me whenever I sit and listen to the great stories of massive transformation efforts and achievements of the incredible speakers that I feature on my platform the Trade with Africa Business Summit because their stories and work help secure the livelihood of nations.

Their stories and work secures the livelihood of nations!

For example at the 2020 edition of the Trade with Africa Business Summit, Scott Ford, Westrock Coffee CEO said the following:

"What we have tried to do at Rwanda Trading Company was to establish an export business that paid as much as it could to the local farmers while still making enough of a profit to stay in business. We have been able to do this largely because we have invested in agronomy training programs for the farmers at the ground level. The Agronomy Training Program (ATP) goes through how do you manage not only your crop but how do you manage your finances and how do you invest in your community so that generations behind you can benefit from your labor. This is the hallmark of the business of Westrock Coffee. It is the heart and soul of why we do what we do. Everything else was to create a platform to pull volume from those kinds of supply chain up from the farmers at origin."

Westrock Coffee is now the single largest private investor in Rwanda and their work has successfully raised the living wages of farmers across east Africa. Scott also serves on President Paul Kagame's Economic Advisory Team helping to reshape the economic landscape.

Similarly one of the key highlights of the inaugural edition of the Trade with Africa Business Summit in 2018 was also when Scott shared the key requirements needed to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to African nations. Watch the moment below or at this link here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBDhyd9Meg

Transcript: “Here is the point that I will say to those of you who are in a position to influence in Africa. I am always on message – it is what people love and hate about me. Zero Corruption, the equal deployment of the rule of law, tax and regulatory policies that encourages investments. Look we can’t do that for you. You have to do that. There is more money looking to come into Africa than you can shake a stick at. Everybody says there is no money. There is plenty of money. There is not many places that as an American who has to comply with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that I can go. So everybody says it sounds like a Rwanda love fest up here. I wonder why that is – right? It is because zero corruption, the equal deployment of the rule of law, tax and regulatory policies that attracts capital. You get that right wherever you are from money will come to your country. You get that wrong no amount of moaning is going to fix a thing…”

Indeed great work still lie ahead to help drive trade, investments as well as help mature the retail landscape in Africa while connecting it to the global supply chain in a way that those at the very bottom of the "Pyramid" benefits from their work.

Nazaru and the Trade with Africa platforms were built to help fast-track the timeline needed to make this happen - one business at a time.

Toyin Umesiri is the Founder of the acclaimed Trade with Africa Business Summit, CEO of Nazaru LLC. and leads the Trade with Africa® Network; a fast growing community of Trade experts, Government officials, Policy makers, Investors, Exporters, Service providers, Diaspora leaders and Innovators growing Trade with Africa®. 

Email Nazaru at info@nazaru.com For more information about Nazaru LLC. visit https://www.nazaru.com

Contact Toyin Umesiri at Email: info@toyinumesiri.com | Phone: (331)725-2963