German carmaker Volkswagen has opened the first car factory in Rwanda, an important step for the East African country, which is trying to reduce imports of used cars from Asia.
President of Rwanda Paul Kagame said Africa should not be a waste of stuff.
“Africa and Rwanda deserve better, and this is one way to show that we can afford it,” Kagame said.
Last year, 300,000 cars were registered in Rwanda, where 12 million people live, show official data. Most of them are used cars from Japan.
Thomas W. Scheffer, Volkswagen Group Director for Volkswagen, told Reuters that the relative security and economic stability of Rwanda encouraged the company to start working in that country.
He said that in the first phase of the Volkswagen in Rwanda, about 1,000 people should be employed.
