Rwanda (Commonwealth Union)_ The Ministry of Trade and Industry is encouraging the business community, particularly female cross-border traders, to take full advantage of the newly established cross-border marketplaces and one-stop border posts. Richard Niwenshuti, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, stated that one of the new cross-border marketplaces, the Kagitumba cross-border market, is almost complete.
“Government invested a lot in constructing cross-border markets. So far, we have constructed 10 cross-border markets. There is also another market being constructed at Kagitumba border,” Niwenshuti said. “The cross-border markets are constructed to facilitate small traders. Kagitumba cross-border will be completed by April next year if nothing changes in the plan.”
Rwanda has several cross-border markets, with two in the Rusizi District, one each in the Nyamasheke, Burera, Rubavu, and Karongi districts, and one under construction at the Kagitumba border. Rwanda shares borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Uganda. Niwenshuti stated that there are enormous prospects in cross-border trade, particularly along the border with the DRC.
According to data by the Rwandan Directorate of Immigration and Emigration, Petit Barrier’s border post between Rwanda’s Rubavu region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Goma is one of the most active in Africa, with around 90,000 individuals crossing daily. The data also indicates that 74% of informal cross-border trading is undertaken by women. According to current figures, average annual cross-border commerce with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is $100 million, with around $30 million passing via the Rusizi border.
In mid- 2022, the Ministry of Trade and Industry inaugurated two cross-border markets in the Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts of Western Province. These are the Bugarama cross-border market located at the Bugarama-Kamanyola border in the Rusizi district and the Rugari cross-border market in the Nyamasheke district, both of which aim to increase commerce with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to experts, if the African Continental Free Commerce Area (AfCFTA) agreement is implemented, the value of trade between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo might grow by $56 million.
On September 30, Rwanda shipped its first shipment of commodities to Ghana under the AfCFTA. Neighboring DR Congo is a major market for small traders in Rwanda, since it gets 86% of its products through Rwanda’s informal commerce. In 2019, Rwanda shipped $372 million worth of commodities to the DR Congo, which accounted for 32 percent of its total exports. However, this sum was decreased to $88 million in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on cross-border commerce, although the DR Congo remained Rwanda’s second largest export market.
