Before the civil war, about 10 percent of the country’s export earnings came from mineral commodities. Munyanganizi Bikoro, the Minister of Water and Mining, is eager to raise investor awareness of the sector’s prospects and diversify its activities. The government is putting an emphasis on the processing of mineral resources using the latest techniques for geological exploration. The target is to export finished minerals within a few years. An investor-friendly mining code is being drawn up and a new mining authority, Rwanda Mining Associates (RMA), has been established, through which the industry will be able to access markets and loans to buy equipment.

As the Managing Director of the South African backed Metal Processing Association company, which operates a cassiterite processing facility and a tin smelter at Ginesnyi, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bruce Stride says that research and development and geological survey could uncover “vastly different results” from what is currently known. “Rwanda still has a lot to discover in terms of mining,” he adds.

The minister believes that, with sufficient investment, mining could become the leading export sector and Rwanda a regional hub. “Our policy is to maximize value addition by creating an industry that can transform these minerals before they are exported,” concludes Dr. Bikoro.