Trade and Investment

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands prioritizes trade and investment in Rwanda as a key focus area. Our goal is to foster linkages, connections and synergies for economic growth and Dutch investment plus trade in the country. We aim to align Dutch and Rwanda trade and investments interests through an approach that brings stakeholders together for mutual benefit. Through this focus, we are committed to support private sector development and collaboration with Rwanda.

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The Netherlands and Rwanda have shared strong trade and investment ties since 2000s, led by agricultural exports from Rwanda to the Netherlands. Given the demand in the Netherlands for Rwanda’s good quality fresh produce, especially for its fruits and vegetables, Rwanda on average exports year-on year 25 million USD horticulture produce. Most recently, Rwanda has increased its exports of flowers, avocadoes and vegetables to the Netherlands, with Dutch carrier KLM Cargo flying five times a week from Kigali.

Rwanda’s Vision 2050 emphasizes private-sector led development, driven by Rwanda’s business conducive environment with Dutch foreign direct investment in Rwanda average year- on- year of over 1 million USD. There are opportunities for Dutch companies in many Rwandan sectors, among which in agriculture, renewable energy, health, digitalization, water and green economy. This page shows some examples of succesfull businesses and initiatives.

Access to Finance

The NASIRA risk-sharing program by Dutch entrepreneurial bank FMO provides a loan portfolio guarantee to I&M Bank Rwanda. It supports the bank in expanding lending to MSMEs, particularly underserved groups such as smallholder farmers, women-owned businesses, and youth-owned businesses, who often face barriers to financing due to higher perceived credit risk.

FMO’s NASIRA program enables financial institutions to more confidently lend to these riskier client segments by sharing the possible credit losses with the financial institutions and thereby reducing the risks involved. In addition to the risk sharing facility, the NASIRA program also includes technical assistance to support the financial institution with the tools to access and service these segments effectively, as well as a portfolio management tool to facilitate an automated monitoring process. To read more visit the link.

Partners in Pallets

The "Partners in Pellets" project is an initiative in Rwanda that replaces charcoal that is used for cooking with pellets, avoiding 90% biomass and several tonnes of CO2 per customer per year.  This collaborative effort brings together Dutch private sector expertise of BioMassters, Mimi Moto, FairClimateFund, BIX Capital and the TRAIDE Foundation.

BioMassters has achieved an annual production capacity of 1000 MT of pellets, and since Q3 2024, over 3500 Mimi Moto stoves have been distributed and another 6500 units are on the way. For further details visit the link.

PUM - Netherlands Senior Experts

Since 2005, the private sector in Rwanda has benefited from PUM, a volunteer organisation committed to the sustainable development of small and medium-size enterprises in developing countries and emerging markets. More than 195 missions to Rwanda were completed between 2008-204. Sectors covered include horticulture, dairy, bee keeping, pig farming, chicken rearing, energy, clothing and textiles. Such support has contributed to the increased exports of horticulture to the Netherlands and EU.

Digital Transformation of Rwanda Vocational Education

Dutch Educational Technology Company, BUKU, has taken a groundbreaking step in African education by launching a digital textbook platform for Rwanda’s entire vocational education system. Since September 1, 2024, more than 102,000 students and nearly 5,000 teachers in Rwanda have benefitted from BUKU’s digital solution, gaining access to thousands of textbooks through an easy-to-use platform. This initiative supports 366 schools across the country, improving educational access where textbooks were previously scarce.

The collaboration between BUKU and the Rwandan government is a major milestone in making education both affordable and accessible. With a catalog of over 150,000 books from 250+ local and international publishers, the platform offers students a subscription model tailored to local purchasing power, ensuring wider access to quality learning materials. To learn more, visit BUKU