Huye Launches Essential District Investment Forum for Investors
Huye, Rwanda — Officials, business leaders, and prospective investors gathered Wednesday at Credo Hotel for the Huye Investment Forum, a one-day event designed to present the Southern Province district’s economic strengths and connect them with capital, partnerships, and practical support.
The forum, organized by Huye District in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, brought together government representatives, existing local businesses and potential new investors. Discussions focused on turning the district’s assets in education, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and services into concrete projects that create jobs and raise living standards.
Huye District Mayor Ange Sebutege opened the event by stressing that realizing the district’s potential requires close cooperation among government institutions, the private sector and residents. She said authorities are working to maintain a business-friendly environment, ease the process of setting up and expanding companies, and ensure that investment delivers visible benefits to local communities.
Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Affairs André Kamana and Ronald Kabagambe, Acting Head of Investment Marketing and Facilitation at the Rwanda Development Board, outlined specific opportunities. They highlighted Huye’s role as a knowledge and education centre anchored by the University of Rwanda’s Huye campus, its cultural and historical tourism assets including the Ethnographic Museum, its coffee and broader agribusiness value chains, the Huye Industrial Park, and growing demand in hospitality, health and other services.
Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Officer Jean-Guy Afrika told participants that national economic progress depends on building strong commercial centers beyond the capital. He said secondary cities such as Huye can become places where investors locate operations, young people find work, and residents see improved livelihoods when public and private actors work together.
Huye, formerly known as Butare, sits along the main corridor linking Kigali with the Burundi border and serves as a regional hub for surrounding districts. District plans position it as a secondary city focused on agribusiness, culture, education and tourism, with the industrial park already attracting dozens of companies interested in value addition and light manufacturing.
Organizers presented the available incentives and facilitation services intended to help businesses establish, grow and operate in the district. The forum also served as a platform for existing investors to share experience and for officials to hear directly from the private sector about remaining constraints.
By midday, sessions were underway and stakeholders continued arriving, reflecting official efforts to shift attention and investment toward secondary cities that can complement Kigali’s growth. Officials described the gathering as a starting point for partnerships rather than a one-off event, with the aim of converting presented opportunities into projects that strengthen Huye Investment Forum’s economy in the years ahead.
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