Pakistan wants to increase imports of Rwandan tea and coffee as it seeks to broaden trade with Rwanda beyond the products traditionally exchanged between the two countries, High Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Khan said.
Khan said Pakistanis consume large quantities of tea, while the country has limited capacity to produce it because of its climate. He said this creates an opportunity for Rwanda, which is already a tea and coffee producer.
“When you talk about Pakistan, people immediately think of rice. But we changed that and started promoting other products and services,” Khan said.
Rwanda exports tea, coffee, avocados, beans, pulses and minerals to Pakistan, while Pakistani products sold in Rwanda include rice, textiles, technology equipment, medical and surgical supplies and sporting goods.
Khan said Pakistani investors should also look at opportunities in Rwanda, pointing to agriculture, manufacturing, technology, healthcare and other sectors where the two economies can complement each other.
“You need rice, we need coffee and tea. That is what we call complementarity. We complement each other,” he said.
The push to expand trade comes as commercial relations between the two countries grow. Bilateral trade reached $236.4 million between 2023 and 2025, according to figures presented during the Rwanda-Pakistan Investment Forum in Kigali in September.
Rwanda and Pakistan also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on trade during the forum on Sept. 24. The framework is intended to expand bilateral trade, promote business partnerships and joint ventures and strengthen cooperation between private-sector organisations. It also provides for a Joint Working Group on Trade and a Joint Business Council.
Khan said the relationship should make better use of the strengths of both economies, with opportunities extending beyond agricultural products to areas such as information technology, education, tourism and health.
He said the priority was to turn the countries’ political relationship into stronger commercial links by connecting businesses and opening more opportunities for investment.
The two countries have maintained diplomatic relations while gradually expanding economic engagement. Pakistan has a resident High Commission in Kigali, and Khan is the country’s current High Commissioner to Rwanda.
