With special guests:
- Olivia Rubagumya, Head of Investor Relations, Rwanda
Finance
- Hortense Mudenge, Head of Strategy, Rwanda Finance
- Tom Le Feuvre, Director Global Markets and International
Agreements, Government of Jersey
- Allan Wood, Global Head of Business Development, Jersey
Finance
The Jersey/Rwanda relationship starts with the Jersey cow, but
there is a lot more to this partnership as we shall explore in this
podcast. Following Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s private visit to
Jersey in the early 2000s, he returned to the Island in an official
capacity 2004 to explore the possibility of improving the dairy
productivity of the native Ankole cow by crossbreeding with the
Jersey. This partnership developed int Rwanda’s first international
development agreement since the end of the nation’s genocide, and
has grown into a strong bilateral relationship formalized by the
MOU signing in May 2016. In 2020 the partnership marks another
milestone as Jersey Finance celebrates its 60th anniversary and
Rwanda Finance launches the Kigali International Financial
Centre, which was meant to take place at the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali but postponed due to
Covid-19. This podcast will detail the history and developments of
the partnership while highlighting to our audience the exciting
opportunities to come.
Tom Le Feuvre, Head of International Agreements and Global
Markets, Government of Jersey, provides an overview of the
Jersey and Rwanda partnership starting with the personal connection
of Paul Kagame’s visit in 2000 and leading to today where multiple
layers have been added to the partnership. He details the
partnership’s origin story and how Jersey’s transformation from an
agricultural economy to a thriving financial sector resonated with
President Kagame’s vision for Rwanda. Building from this, Tom will
discuss the different aspects of the partnership including MOUs,
legal reforms and agreements, partnerships on conservation, tax
transparency, regulatory and government-to-government dialogues;
and ending with points on the Kigali International Financial
Centre.
Olivia Rubagumya, Head of Investor Relations, Rwanda provides
an introduction to Rwanda Finance and an overview of the KIFC from
her perspective in investor promotion. She will explain that
although the launch was intended for CHOGM, the initiative is
operational. She will detail how Rwanda has modernized and
demonstrated itself as a norms maker in the continent. Olivia also
updates us on the legal and governance reforms facilitating
this.
Hortense Mudenge, Head of Strategy, Rwanda Finance provides an
overview of the technical aspects of the KIFC, and relevant reforms
and initiatives. By using the podcast as one of the initiative’s
soft launches, she will introduce what the audience can expect KIFC
and what it can offer. She will give an overview of the Vision 2050
plan and how it plans to increase investment flows, from Asia and
elsewhere, into the country and into the region. She details how
the double tax avoidance treaties will boost these investment flows
and Rwanda’s role as a steward for the region. Hortense explains
how Rwanda Finance plans to support the country in achieving its
ambitious goals for Vision 2050, and responds to the opinion of
offshore centres being seen as inverted commercial “tax havens”.
Hortense also describes how Rwanda intends to grow its financial
sector from its small beginnings at the current time.
Allan Wood, Global Head of Business Development, Jersey
Finance gives an overview of the Jersey Finance and Rwanda Finance
partnership from the first delegation that was brought to Kigali to
the current capacity building stage and the Rwanda Finance
delegation’s visit to Jersey. He will discuss how at Jersey
Finance’s 60th anniversary it is great to be working with Rwanda
Finance at it’s beginning. He discusses how Jersey has
differentiated itself as a well-governed offshore centre. Allan
gives an overview on the technical assistance aspects of the
partnership, and its focus financial services and inward
opportunities and then the long term unique relationship that
continues to build and details on the technical assistance to
Rwanda. He also provides an overview also of Jersey Finance’s other
initiatives in Africa.
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