Economic relations
During the 1994 genocide, more than 800,000 people – mainly Tutsis, but also moderate Hutus – were systematically killed in just 100 days. The economy collapsed immediately afterwards. But Rwanda recovered quickly and just four years later, in 1998, had returned to its pre-civil war level. The country’s economy is mainly based on income generated by agriculture. Its main exports are coffee, tea and minerals (tin, wolfram and coltan). There is little economic development outside the agricultural sector, although tourism is growing fast. This sector is currently Rwanda’s second-largest source of income, after development aid.
The Rwandan government is taking vigorous action to improve the investment climate, develop the private sector, and attract investment from abroad. The Dutch beer industry is the country’s largest source of private investment. Dutch banks have a presence in Rwanda and a Dutch airline operates direct flights to the capital, Kigali, five times a week.
For up-to-date information on economic and trade relations with Rwanda, see the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) website.