There is a rags to riches scenario being discussed in Rwanda - converting banana stems, considered a waste product, into textile.

A delegation from Japan visited the country to talk about the technology that turns banana stems into textile. Training of the first batch of weavers will take place soon, and the project is set to benefit thousands in a country where banana plantations are found everywhere.

The abundant raw materials will come from the stem that farmers leave in the garden after a harvest and is currently used for mulching. This stem will now be finely woven to make fabrics, making Rwanda the first African country to have banana fabric technology.

This development comes at a time when researchers, scientists and farmers met at a big Pan-African Conference in Kenya to discuss effective growing and selling of the banana crop.

With the fresh interest the world is taking on banana growing, there is expected to be an increase in growing of the crop which will ensure Rwanda gets constant and cheap raw materials for its banana fabric technology.