Unlocking Rwanda’s Export Potential: Removing Structural Bottlenecks

Rwanda’s export base remains narrow and concentrated, limiting diversification and contributing to persistent external imbalances. Despite strong growth and substantial public investment, competitiveness challenges—including high logistics costs, limited value addition, and weak integration into global value chains—have constrained export performance. This Selected Issues Paper assesses the structural and macroeconomic factors holding back export expansion and identifies policy priorities to unlock Rwanda’s export potential. Reforms to improve trade facilitation, strengthen the investment climate, enhance productivity, and promote private-sector-led value addition would support diversification, improve external sustainability, and strengthen resilience in an increasingly uncertain global environment.