{"id":4371,"date":"2026-10-08T13:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=4371"},"modified":"2026-10-08T13:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:50:11","slug":"stronger-exports-help-steady-rwandas-franc-as-economy-expands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/08\/stronger-exports-help-steady-rwandas-franc-as-economy-expands\/economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stronger exports help steady Rwanda\u2019s franc as economy expands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"678\" height=\"452\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-1-1.jpg 678w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A surge in Rwanda\u2019s exports helped ease pressure on the franc in the first half of 2026, as rising foreign-exchange earnings narrowed the gap between goods entering and leaving the country, the central bank said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exports increased by about 52% in the first six months of the year, while imports rose by roughly 19%, Governor Soraya Hakuziyaremye said while presenting the National Bank of Rwanda\u2019s Monetary Policy and Financial Stability Statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/kl-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/kl-1.png 646w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/kl-1-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe good performance of exports helped ensure that the gap between imports and exports did not increase significantly,\u201d Hakuziyaremye said, putting the increase in the trade gap at just 1.1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The stronger export performance contributed to higher foreign-exchange inflows and helped strengthen Rwanda\u2019s external position, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By June 30, the country\u2019s foreign-exchange reserves were sufficient to finance about 4.1 months of imports, providing a buffer against external shocks and pressures in the foreign-exchange market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The franc lost less than 1% of its value against the U.S. dollar during the first half of 2026, a marked improvement from the 8.7% depreciation recorded in the first half of 2023, according to the central bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hakuziyaremye said the relative stability of the franc was not driven by exports alone. Increased foreign investment, remittances from Rwandans living abroad and reforms to the foreign-exchange market that began in 2025 also contributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The improved external position comes as Rwanda\u2019s economy continues to expand rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The economy grew by 9.7% in real terms in the first half of 2026, with industry and services leading growth, while agriculture expanded by 5.9%. The central bank expects full-year growth of about 7.8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The stronger growth has come alongside continued pressure on prices, leaving policymakers balancing economic expansion with efforts to contain inflation and protect macroeconomic stability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A surge in Rwanda\u2019s exports helped ease pressure on the franc in the first half of 2026, as rising foreign-exchange earnings narrowed the gap between [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,3,53,41,34,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-economy","category-featured-stories","category-hot_topics","category-national","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4376,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371\/revisions\/4376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}