Rwanda’s mineral exports surged in 2025, with shipments of tin, tungsten and tantalum rising 46.2 percent year-on-year. And the boom eased pressure on the country’s external trade position, narrowing the deficit from $3 billion in 2024 to $2.7 billion in 2025, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

Officials and industry stakeholders attribute the growth to rising global commodity prices, fresh investment and a steady transition from artisanal mining to more mechanised operations.

Rwandan government statistics also indicate that by November 2025, raw tin was among Rwanda’s top exports to the United States, with Rwanda achieving a positive trade balance with the US that month.

Ibrahim Kalisa, Managing Director of Nemep Trading Ltd, an export business firm, said higher international prices have significantly improved profitability in the sector.

He noted that a kilo of tin, which sold for approximately $24 early last year, is now trading at around $38 — a sharp rise from $11 a decade ago.

Tantalum prices have also increased from about $2.20 per unit to around $2.70, with expectations of reaching $3. Tungsten, measured in metric tonne units, has climbed to nearly $1,000, up from below $350 in previous years.

Kalisa said the improved earnings have enabled traders and cooperatives to reinvest in operations. “We can now make advance payments, deploy better technology and extend working hours, including underground activities that were previously limited,” he said.

He added that his company’s export volumes have more than doubled, rising from about 15 tonnes of each mineral to between 30 and 50 tonnes per mineral, primarily destined for China.

The price increase has accelerated the move toward semi-industrial and industrial mining. The country has also invested in mechanisation, which has significantly improved output.

Economic growthCassiterite prices have risen from roughly $18 to approximately $27 per kilogramme since August last year, while tantalum has followed a similar upward trajectory.

While appearing before parliament to present the revised budget, Yusuf Murangwa, Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said: “The country’s mineral sector is doing well and contributing to economic growth as well as providing employment opportunities.”Favourable weather has also supported production, with the absence of heavy rains in recent months allowing uninterrupted operations. Improved storage and processing techniques have further reduced material losses.

Rwanda has persistently faced accusations from the international community of plundering minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and reselling them as its own. Rwanda has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that it complies fully with international traceability laws.

The mining sector delivered an impressive performance in 2024, recording $1.75 billion in mineral export earnings. This marked a major milestone as the sector accelerates toward meeting the National Strategy for Transformation 2 (NST-2) target of $2.17 billion in annual export revenues by 2029.

Over the past seven years (2017–2024), Rwanda’s mineral exports have more than tripled, rising from $373 million in 2017 to $1.75 billion in 2024. This exponential growth is rooted in key sectoral reforms, including enhanced mineral value addition, diversified markets, professional mining practices, a shift to mechanised operations, and robust exploration and investment strategies.

Mining is now a central pillar in Rwanda’s economic transformation. From exploration to processing and trading, the sector has undergone significant regulatory and operational overhauls, shaping a more resilient and future-ready landscape.

Rwanda is rapidly transitioning from artisanal mining to mechanised operations across small, medium and large-scale regimes. This shift is expected to double extraction efficiency from the current 40 percent to an ambitious 80 percent.

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