James Foster

James Foster is a trade & private sector development specialist, working with OTF Group in Rwanda and Burundi to create strategic plans for agribusiness and other industries. He has worked closely with the coffee, tea, leather and silk industries to identify and target new markets, assess current industry weaknesses, create public private partnerships for change and advised on restructuring of these industries. Since joining OTF Group, he has also supported the development of robust private sector support institutions, working with the Rwanda Private Sector Federation and the Centre for the Support of Small and Medium Enterprises in Rwanda. He also wrote the research report ‘Sources of Informal Economic Activity in Rwanda’ – an evaluation of a 900 firm informal sector survey - for FIAS.

Prior to joining OTF Group, Mr. Foster spent two years working as the economist in the Ministry of Commerce in Rwanda, advising on trade policies, developing strategic action plans and budgets; and, as Director of the Integrated Framework, managing the elaboration and implementation of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study. This experience has provided him with an intimate grasp of the role and capacity of Government in an LDC, coupled with a thorough appreciation of key constraints to business and to trade, and an applied knowledge of trade policy tools, models and debates.