At midnight on 11th November 2018 (Shanghai time), President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda sent greetings to the Chinese consumers and invited them to visit Rwanda as the double 11 shopping festival set in.

November 11th or Double 11 is that time of the year that the Global Shopping Festival also known as the “Singles' Day” starts.

For Rwanda, this year's event is special, as the country has just entered into partnership with Alibaba Group to facilitate access of Rwandan products to the Chinese market.

The President’s message to Chinese consumers was aired live during the Double 11 Gala, which was held at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai. The message also featured the country's exotic scenery and the Intore dancing among other tourist attractions.

The event was attended by Ambassador Charles Kayonga who was in Shanghai to discuss with the Alibaba Group the implementation of the recent agreements signed in Kigali last month. 

The annual event kicks off at the midnight of 11th November every year and runs for 24 hours featuring steep discounts that are driven by the main Alibaba-owned platform, Tmall. This year's festival was the tenth Double 11.

Alibaba facility offers Rwanda immense opportunities to export products. Future events are, therefore, expected to include more Made in Rwanda products. The event took place as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) concluded. Six Rwandan companies participated at the Expo including Urumuri Handicraft Ltd, which oversold its products. 

-ENDS-