Opportunities in Rwanda’s manufacturing sector exist across the board for domestic and regional markets. The high cost of imports in this landlocked country also offers opportunities for import-substitution activities that enjoy a certain natural protection.
Investment opportunities
Textiles and apparel : Opportunities exist in the establishment of apparel factories. Currently UTEXRWA is the only industrial-scale apparel manufacturer in Rwanda. Utexrwa has already established contact with potential buyers such as US company Wal-Mart, but is constrained by low production capacity.
Crafts: Rwanda’s crafts, like its garments, are eligible for duty-free entry into the US market under AGOA. The main products are baskets, beadwork, metalwork, wood and stone sculptures (e.g. Mountain gorilla sculptures, which are popular with tourists), dolls, artisan tanning,
hand-printed Stationery and hand-loomed textiles. Investment opportunities in the craft sector exist in the establishment of production centers to house scattered production all over the country which reduces capacity to deal with large orders.
Other investment opportunities include: production of cooking oil, production of Zinc oxide, processing of leather products, production of plastics bottles, paper mill and printing, general paper packaging, manufacture of wood and metal products, and the establishment of a pharmaceutical plant.
Further information on opportunities in the manufacturing sector is available from the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA).
Key contact: Christine Akuzwe
Investment Mobilization Officer
Email: info@rwandainvest.com
