Business in Rwanda, Kigali

The aims of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in the Republic of Rwanda” are the following:

1. To analyse the Rwandan Economy and Foreign Trade (Import, Export, FDI)
2. To know the business opportunities in the Republic of Rwanda
3. To explore the Rwandan trade relations with the country of the student
4. To know the Rwandan Free Trade Agreements
5. To examine the profile of Rwandan Companies
6. To develop a business plan for the Rwandan Market

1. Nearest ports
   1. Port of Mombasa
   2. Port of Dar es-Salaam
2. Trans-African corridors
   1. Central Corridor
   2. Northern Corridor

Rwandan Preferential Access and Free Trade Agreements

1. Rwanda and the Central African Economic Area / East African Economic Area
2. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
3. East African Community (EAC)
4. COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement
5. African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA)
6. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
7. Rwanda-European Union
   1. Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)
   2. Africa-European Union Strategic Partnership (Cotonou Agreement)
8. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India
9. Rwanda-United States
   1. AGOA United States-Rwanda
   2. East African Community-US Agreement
10. International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
11. Economic Community of the Great Lakes Region (CEPGL)
12. Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
13. Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) - accession process

Trade Facilitation Programs

1. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
   1. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
   2. WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI)
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG)
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
2. World Customs Organisation (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)
3. Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM / IATA)
4. International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC)
5. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO, Chicago Convention)
6. International Maritime Organisation (IMO) - not a member
   1. Convention Relating to Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention) - not a member
7. Customs Convention on Containers (CCC, UN) - not a member

African Trade and Economic Organisations

1. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
2. African Union (AU)
   1. African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption
   2. African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)
   3. Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
3. African Development Bank (AfDB)
4. Africa-South America Summit (ASA)
5. Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
6. Africa-India Framework for Cooperation
7. Africa-BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
8. Africa-Turkey Partnership
9. Afro-Arab Cooperation
10. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)
11. Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership (NAASP)
12. Africa-Korea Partnership
13. Africa-Japan Cooperation (TICAD)

Global Economic Organisations

1. World Bank (WB)
2. World Trade Organisation (WTO)
3. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
4. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN)
   3. World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

The Republic of Rwanda

1. The Republic of Rwanda (landlocked country) is a poor rural African nation with 90% of the population working in the agriculture sector
2. Rwanda is the most densely populated nation in Africa
3. Few natural resources, small industry
4. The Genocide (1994) shocked the economy of Rwanda and his population
5. Capital of Rwanda: Kigali (1 Million people): one of the African safest cities
6. The largest Rwandan cities are Kigali, Butare, and Gisenyi
7. Rwanda is landlocked country
8. The official languages of Rwanda: Kinyarwanda, French, English, and Kiswahili
9. Independence of Rwanda: 1962 (Belgium)
10. Rwandan population: 12 million people
    1. Bantu
11. Area of Rwanda: 26,338 square kilometres
12. Borders or the Republic of Rwanda: Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania

More information about Rwanda (EENI African Portal).

Religions in Rwanda.

1. African Traditional Religions
2. Christianity:
   1. Catholicism (4.7 million)
   2. Protestants (4 million, 43% of Rwandan population).

Rwanda belongs to the Central African Economic Area and the East African Economic Area (African Civilisation).

Rwandan Economy:

Rwanda: a landlocked poor rural country.

1. Rwandan GDP growth: 7%
2. GDP per capita of Rwanda: USD 644
3. Rwandan Agriculture sector: 90% of the labour force
4. Services sector in Rwanda: 45% of the GDP
5. Rwandan Industry: 15% of the GDP
6. The most Rwandan dynamic sector are construction and property (real estate)
7. Inflation in Rwanda: 4.4%
8. Top Rwandan export products: tea and coffee, minerals
9. Trade with the East African Community (EAC) countries: 35% of the total exports
10. Currency of Rwanda: Rwandan Franc (RWF)
11. The favourable terms of international trade, foreign direct investment and aid inflows have aided and stimulated the Rwandan economy considerably over the last decade.
12. The substantial growth was from an increase in cereal products production (maize and wheat)

International Trade of Rwanda

Exports of Rwanda continue to remain small compared to the average of Central Africa and mainly stand for the two largest cash crops, tea, and coffee and, recently, mineral products.