Includes the barriers (tariff and non-tariff) that U.S. companies face when exporting to this country.
Last Published: 7/12/2019
There are no special barriers to U.S. trade and investment, but in July 2016 the government increased tariffs for used clothing imports from any country by about 1000 percent.  Constraints to increased trade and investment are limited infrastructure, bureaucratic procedures, shortage in foreign exchange, and high transportation and transaction costs. 

Most imports and exports are shipped by road from the ports of Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), a distance of up to 1,500 km.  Commercial traffic to and from the ports is subject to frequent delays, numerous weigh points, high transportation costs, and occasional theft.  These hindrances can cause unpredictable delays when importing goods into the country.  As such, shipping insurance and freight forwarding services may prove difficult to acquire in Rwanda.  As a landlocked country, Rwanda’s economy is vulnerable to potential disputes with neighboring countries; tension between Rwanda and Uganda in 2019 has anecdotally slowed some imports and exports.

Rwanda hopes to generate higher trade volumes under the Single Customs Territory (SCT), a trilateral initiative among Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.  Under the SCT, customs revenues are collected at the ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam and remitted to the destination member state.
 
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.


More Information

Rwanda Trade Barriers