Coffee, Trinkets on Offer as Rwanda Courts Alibaba for China

KIGALI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rwandan traders will soon offer products including coffee and handicrafts on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s platform as the East African nation targets the Chinese market.

Alibaba signed three agreements with Rwanda on Wednesday that include helping Chinese tourists travel to the nation known for its endangered mountain gorillas. The country that also supplies Starbucks Corp. with some specialty coffee is now looking east to expand its market, according to the Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Officer Claire Akamanzi.

“Demand for coffee is increasing in China and, through our platform, Rwandan coffee will be a success for the country, farmers and consumers,” Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma said at a conference in the capital, Kigali. “I have been waiting for this day since 10 years ago, seeing e-commerce helping Africans to trade online.”

Rwanda is Alibaba’s first electronic world-trade platform, or eWTP, partner in Africa, he said. The eWTP enables cross-border trade for small- and medium-sized enterprises with services such as e-commerce, logistics, cloud computing and mobile payments. Alibaba’s customers used its platforms to order products that last year saw package deliveries reach 55 million a day.