Rwanda and Pakistan have signed a trade cooperation agreement aimed at making it easier for businesses in both countries to trade, invest and form partnerships, as the two sides seek to expand commercial ties.
The agreement was signed in Kigali on Sept. 24 during a Rwanda-Pakistan investment forum attended by government officials, business leaders and investors from the two countries.
Minister of Trade and Industry Antoine Marie Kajangwe signed for Rwanda, while Pakistan’s Ambassador to Rwanda Naeem Khan signed on behalf of his country.
Kajangwe said the agreement would create opportunities for companies from both countries to work together in areas including technology, textile manufacturing and agriculture.
The minister said the two countries were looking for areas where their respective businesses could complement each other rather than operate in isolation.
Khan said Pakistan wanted to increase imports of Rwandan tea and coffee while encouraging Pakistani businesses to take a more active role in Rwanda.
“Pakistan is a country of more than 200 million people,” Khan said, highlighting its industrial and agricultural base as an opportunity for Rwandan producers.
He said tea was one of the products Pakistan wanted to source more directly from Rwanda and called on Pakistani investors in the country to help strengthen that trade.
Khan also identified coffee as another area with potential, saying Rwandan coffee was popular among Pakistani consumers and that his country wanted to increase supplies.
He said Rwandan tea and coffee businesses could also explore opportunities in Pakistan, where he said there was a market of more than 50 million consumers for the products.
The agreement comes as business activity between Rwanda and Pakistan reached $236.4 million between 2023 and 2025, according to figures presented at the investment forum.
Rwanda Development Board Deputy Chief Executive Officer Juliana Muganza said Rwanda should be viewed by Pakistani investors as more than a market of about 14 million people.
“Investors should see Rwanda as a gateway to regional trade, not a country of only 14 million,” she said.
Muganza said goods from Kigali could reach more than 80 million consumers within a 500-kilometre radius, while the African Continental Free Trade Area offers access to a market of about 1.4 billion people.
RDB records show that Rwanda received seven Pakistani investment projects between 2023 and 2025, worth more than $2 million.
The private sector also sees the agreement as a way to move existing business contacts into more structured cooperation.
Rwanda Private Sector Federation President François Twagirumukiza said businesses from the two countries had previously met and explored opportunities, but those contacts had not always been supported by formal cooperation between their governments.
“Businesspeople used to meet and discuss, but it was not based on cooperation between the two countries,” Twagirumukiza said.
He said the private sector would work with Pakistani investors interested in Rwanda to help them expand their business links beyond the areas where they already operate.
The agreement covers trade and business cooperation, including opportunities in agro-processing and manufacturing, textiles and garments, agriculture, tourism and transport.
