Trade
Trade and Exports
Rwanda trades under the East African Community (since 2007), COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which was signed in Kigali in 2018. Its largest export earners are minerals, tourism and agriculture, and the national strategy aims to double exports to USD 7.3 billion by 2029.
Trade agreements
- East African Community: eight partner states, a customs union and a common market; Rwanda joined in July 2007.
- COMESA: 21 member states.
- AfCFTA: signed in Kigali on 21 March 2018; Rwanda was among the first eight countries to trade under it.
- Preference schemes in the EU, the UK and China, and six bilateral investment treaties in force, including with the United States.
- Rwanda left the Economic Community of Central African States in June 2025.
Source: East African Community: Overview of the EAC; East African Community: EAC partner states; International Trade Administration: Rwanda, trade agreements; International Trade Centre, Market Access Map: Learn about the AfCFTA; African Union: Powering trade through the AfCFTA, press release, 15 February 20231,5,6,7,8
Main export earners
| Export | Value |
|---|---|
| Minerals | USD 1.75 billion, 2024 |
| Agricultural exports, all | USD 1.1 billion, 2025/26 |
| Tourism | USD 685 million, 2025 |
| Coffee | USD 148.6 million, 2025, a record |
| Tea | USD 114.8 million, 2023/24 |
Source: Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board: How Rwanda’s mining sector is powering towards the NST2 USD 2.17 billion goal; National Agricultural Export Development Board: Agricultural exports surpass USD 1 billion; Rwanda Development Board: Strong performance across investment, exports and tourism in 2025; National Agricultural Export Development Board: Coffee export revenues hit a record in 2025; National Agricultural Export Development Board: NAEB aims to plant 40 million tea seedlings2,9,3,10,11
Customs
Goods from outside the EAC pay the common external tariff of 0%, 10%, 25% or 35%; goods of EAC origin enter at 0%. Exports are zero-rated for VAT, and companies exporting at least 80% of their output can apply for Export Processing Zone status.12,13,14,15
Routes to the sea
| Corridor | Distance | Container cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mombasa to Kigali | 1,682 km | About USD 3,500 (2025) | About 6 days |
| Dar es Salaam to Kigali | 1,495 km | About USD 3,480 (2023) | About 4 days |
Source: Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority: Northern Corridor Transport Observatory report 2025; Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: Central Corridor Transport Observatory annual report 202316,17
Sources
- East African Community: Overview of the EAC
- Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board: How Rwanda’s mining sector is powering towards the NST2 USD 2.17 billion goal
- Rwanda Development Board: Strong performance across investment, exports and tourism in 2025
- Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning: Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) 2024–2029, abridged
- East African Community: EAC partner states
- International Trade Administration: Rwanda, trade agreements
- International Trade Centre, Market Access Map: Learn about the AfCFTA
- African Union: Powering trade through the AfCFTA, press release, 15 February 2023
- National Agricultural Export Development Board: Agricultural exports surpass USD 1 billion
- National Agricultural Export Development Board: Coffee export revenues hit a record in 2025
- National Agricultural Export Development Board: NAEB aims to plant 40 million tea seedlings
- East African Community: Customs union at 25
- Rwanda Revenue Authority: EAC customs union
- Rwanda Revenue Authority: Basic information on Rwanda taxation, 2025
- Rwanda Development Board: Business procedures, EPZ user licence
- Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority: Northern Corridor Transport Observatory report 2025
- Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: Central Corridor Transport Observatory annual report 2023
Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestRwanda.com for general information. It is not investment, tax or legal advice; please confirm details with a qualified adviser before acting.
