Exports to the DRC rose from $8.14 million in April 2024 to $11.52 million in April 2025, even as re-exports declined by 12%. Re-exports mainly comprise goods such as fuels and manufactured food products that are imported into Rwanda and subsequently sold to the DRC.
This growth was registered amid a broader improvement in the country’s trade performance, with Rwanda’s formal trade deficit narrowing by over 29%, from $330.31 million to $232.13 million over the same period.
The positive shift in Rwanda’s trade position reflects a combination of factors, including a reduction in import volumes and targeted expansion into key regional markets.
Other top export destinations for Rwanda include the United Arab Emirates, China, Luxembourg, Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.
On the import side, China remained Rwanda’s largest trading partner, supplying goods worth $79.35 million in April 2025. India, Tanzania, and Kenya also featured prominently among Rwanda’s top import sources.
However, total imports decreased by 18.22% compared to April 2024, contributing to the overall reduction in the trade deficit.
Amb. Rwamucyo was among six new envoys who presented their letters of credence to President William Ruto. The others included Chiranjib Sarker (Bangladesh), retired Lt. General Peter Kakowou Lavahun (Sierra Leone), Anthony Louis Kon (South Sudan), Kan Yaw Kiong (Singapore), and Erika Álvarez Rodríguez (Dominican Republic).
During the ceremony, Amb. Rwamucyo expressed his commitment to deepening the longstanding relations between Rwanda and Kenya, noting the historical bonds of friendship and cooperation rooted in shared values and a collective vision for regional peace and prosperity.
“It is my sincere hope that I shall succeed in my endeavours to further enhance the relations between our two nations to greater heights,” he said.
Rwanda and Kenya enjoy robust bilateral relations, with cooperation spanning trade, infrastructure development, education, security, and vibrant people-to-people exchanges. Amb. Rwamucyo acknowledged Kenya’s role as a strategic partner in both bilateral frameworks and regional blocs such as the East African Community (EAC).
“As I begin my mission here in Kenya, I look forward to engaging with stakeholders across government, the private sector, and civil society in pursuit of our shared goals,” he added.
President Ruto, in welcoming the new envoys, reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and regional collaboration.
Addressing Amb. Rwamucyo directly, the President said, “Congratulations, High Commissioner. I look forward to working with you in promoting the bonds of friendship and elevating the mutual aspirations of the people of our two nations.”
Amb. Rwamucyo replaces Ambassador Martin Ngoga, whose letter of recall was also presented during the ceremony. He previously served as Rwanda’s High Commissioner to India and as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Amb. Ngoga is now Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
After a six-year pause, this highly anticipated convention is set to bring together over 1,500 Rwandans from across the globe, including members of the diaspora and guests from Rwanda.
The event is designed to celebrate Rwandan culture, promote unity, and explore opportunities for national development. The 2025 edition carries added significance as it coincides with Rwanda’s 31st Liberation Day and U.S. Independence Day, making it a symbolic moment of pride and shared celebration.
The convention will serve as a vital platform for dialogue, collaboration, and reconnecting. It will feature networking events, business forums, and youth-centered activities aimed at strengthening community ties and encouraging diaspora engagement in Rwanda’s development agenda.
According to organisers, the attention is particularly drawn on attracting businesses to present their services and products to the diaspora community and Rwanda’s international allies, with the goal of fostering partnerships and driving new investment into the country.
Participants will have access to a wide range of government and private sector services, creating an environment that mirrors the convenience and community spirit found back home.
Institutions such as banks, government agencies, and representatives from the Private Sector Federation (PSF) are expected to be present, offering practical support and information to attendees.
The convention will also shine a spotlight on sports and youth engagement. A series of friendly games—including basketball, football, and volleyball—will take place, with participation from young Rwandans and former national team players now based in the U.S.
The sporting segment will include under-18 basketball matches, with standout players having the chance to represent the diaspora in the African Basketball Championship later this year in Kigali.
Cultural heritage will be front and center throughout the event. A showcase of Rwandan products, traditional music and dance, fashion, and historical exhibitions will offer attendees a rich cultural experience.
These efforts aim not only to preserve Rwandan traditions but also to educate younger generations about their roots and responsibilities in shaping Rwanda’s future.
Entertainment will play a big role in the celebration. The convention will open with a Liberation Day concert featuring Intore Massamba, and continue with a Youth Night concert headlined by The Ben, supported by talented DJs and artists from the Rwandan-American community.
A closing prayer breakfast will be led by Apostle Paul Gitwaza, with popular artist Meddy leading worship.
While the event offers plenty of moments for joy and celebration, its deeper mission is to strengthen national bonds and encourage greater participation in Rwanda’s growth.
With over $505 million in diaspora remittances recorded in 2024, the convention provides a timely platform to recognize the diaspora’s contributions and inspire even more engagement.
Rwanda Convention 2025 is poised to be one of the largest gatherings of Rwandans outside the country, not only highlighting national pride and unity but also reinforcing the diaspora’s critical role in building Rwanda’s future.
According to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), trade activity slowed overall, but the country’s trade deficit narrowed. Total exports for the month amounted to $148.51 million, marking a 2.9% decrease from March and a more significant 28.01% drop compared to $205.96 million in April 2024.
The figures indicate that domestic exports amounted to $105.42 million, slightly down from March by 1.69%, and down 33.04% year-over-year.
Re-exports, which include goods imported into Rwanda and then exported without major transformation, also declined, falling 5.74% from March and 11.8% compared to April 2024.
On the import side, Rwanda brought in goods worth $380.64 million in April, down from $420.18 million the previous month. This represents a 9.41% month-on-month decrease and an 18.22% drop year-on-year.
The slowdown in imports contributed to a narrowing of the country’s trade deficit, which improved by 10.43%, falling to $232.13 million from $267.23 million in March.
While the drop in exports signals subdued external demand or production constraints, the sharper decline in imports may reflect changing consumption patterns, tighter foreign exchange conditions, or shifts in trade logistics.
Imports of key items such as mineral fuels, machinery, and chemicals declined noticeably, though certain categories like vegetable oils and manufactured goods recorded modest gains.
Rwanda’s trading partners also saw shifts in performance. The United Arab Emirates remained the top destination for Rwandan exports, although volumes declined slightly from previous months.
The Democratic Republic of Congo maintained its position as a major export partner, increasing its share of Rwanda’s exports. Other notable export destinations included China, Sweden, and the United States, with the latter seeing an uptick in Rwandan goods.
In terms of imports, China continued to lead as Rwanda’s largest source, supplying goods worth over $79 million, despite a decline of 18% compared to March. India and Tanzania followed, with Indonesia emerging as a notable contributor, with its exports to Rwanda rising sharply—by over 700%—due mainly to oils and fats.
Transport data also illustrated a shift in trading dynamics. The bulk of trade continued to move by land, accounting for the vast majority of exports and imports.
However, air transport, which had seen a strong performance in March, slowed dramatically in April. Imports by air fell to just $37.5 million, down from nearly $80 million, while air exports also declined slightly.
Despite the decline in overall trade activity, the narrowing trade deficit may offer a measure of relief, suggesting a more balanced exchange between what the country buys and sells.
ENSIA, which offers an integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s program in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, currently hosts five Rwandan students as part of a growing educational partnership between the two nations.
Speaking during a joint press conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President Kagame expressed gratitude for Algeria’s continued support in empowering Rwandan youth through advanced education.
“Algeria’s support for Rwandan students in cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence and data science has been very successful,” President Kagame said.
“This reflects the forward-looking nature of our partnership and our shared interest in building the capacity of our people,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the two Heads of State presided over the signing of 12 bilateral agreements spanning a wide range of sectors, including higher education, air services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, visa exemptions, professional training, police cooperation, justice, and investment promotion.
President Kagame also revealed Rwanda’s plans to open an embassy in Algiers, a move aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and accelerating bilateral cooperation.
“A diplomatic presence of Rwanda in Algeria, which we hope to have soon, will create more opportunities to strengthen our economic ties and see more engagement between our private sectors,” he added.
This initiative stems from the UAE’s civilized and humanitarian mission to achieve the aspirations of people and help them obtain basic health services, enhancing healthcare across the world.
This initiative reflects the UAE’s humanitarian and moral duty towards its Yemeni brothers and sisters, with the aim of overcoming urgent health challenges on Socotra Island in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
International reports indicate that the island’s population faces major nutritional challenges, especially among children, with the rate of acute malnutrition reaching 10.9%, and severe acute malnutrition reaching 1.6% among children under five. Global acute malnutrition rates ranging from 10% to 14% are internationally classified as critical, while severe acute malnutrition rates exceeding 1% are considered alarming.
In this context, Mohammed Haji Al Khouri, Director General of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, emphasized the UAE’s humanitarian and international responsibility in developing communities and enhancing essential health services. This follows the immortal humanitarian approach of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to help one another everywhere and at all times.
This also implements the inspiring vision of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to address such nutritional and health challenges facing the children and women of Socotra Island in the sisterly Republic of Yemen, in strategic partnership with the World Health Organization.
He explained that the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, as an affiliate of the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Foundation, will work with the World Health Organization to develop appropriate solutions to address these nutritional and health challenges by conducting a new survey based on current data.
This joint initiative seeks to reduce maternal and child deaths resulting from malnutrition by implementing a comprehensive approach to strengthening the health and nutritional system on Socotra Island over two consecutive years.
He stressed the importance of this in strengthening medical care services dedicated to maternal, infant, and child health, expanding emergency preparedness and epidemic control, and improving health and nutrition surveillance systems to ensure early detection of malnutrition and disease outbreaks.
Dr. Frema Coulibaly-Zerbo, Acting WHO Representative in Yemen, said that this joint effort reflects the shared vision of building sustainable health systems in Yemen. The organization is working with the United Arab Emirates and the Yemeni national authorities to meet urgent needs and lay the foundations for long-term health security on Socotra Island.
It is worth noting that this humanitarian initiative on Socotra Island is a form of official assistance between the UAE and the WHO office in Yemen, seeking to provide immediate food relief on the one hand, and mitigate nutritional and health deterioration among various groups and segments on the other.
This initiative will also enhance the healthcare infrastructure on Socotra Island by training staff, providing medicines, and establishing emergency preparedness mechanisms to ensure optimal response to health challenges.
It will also develop sustainable solutions to address malnutrition, raise community awareness, and improve disease surveillance to identify targeted medical interventions based on ongoing evaluation and study results.
In a series of posts on his social media platform X, the tech billionaire sharply criticised the bill passed by the House of Representatives last month, which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts and increased defence spending, while allowing for greater government borrowing.
The legislation forms a central part of Trump’s second-term economic agenda and is being promoted by the president as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted.
“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” he added.
He estimated it would drive the U.S. budget deficit up to $2.5 trillion, calling it “crushingly unsustainable.”
The remarks mark Musk’s first public break with Trump since leaving his short-lived role in the administration on May 31. He had served for 129 days as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with cutting public spending.
Despite leaving government, Musk had until now remained publicly supportive of Trump’s policies. His recent comments, however, appear to signal a shift, with Musk warning of political consequences for lawmakers who supported the bill.
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” he wrote.
The bill’s opponents within the Republican Party, particularly fiscal conservatives, have echoed Musk’s concerns.
Several senators, including Mike Lee and Ron Johnson, have voiced strong opposition to the bill’s projected impact on the national debt, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says could rise by $3.8 trillion under the proposal. Lee urged fellow Republicans to “use the Trump bill and future spending measures to reduce the deficit.”
Musk’s intervention has added fresh tension to internal Republican debates, with lawmakers now facing mounting pressure to amend the legislation before its expected passage in the Senate by July 4. Republicans currently hold a narrow 53-47 majority and can afford only limited defections.
Trump and his allies have downplayed Musk’s criticism. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the president was fully aware of Musk’s views and remained committed to the legislation. “This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it,” she told reporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also dismissed Musk’s concerns.
“We have a job to do—the American people elected us to deliver on this agenda,” he said.
Still, divisions persist among Republican lawmakers. Some rural-state senators want protections for Medicaid and hospital reimbursements, while others are pushing for cuts to climate-related investments.
The fate of proposed tax breaks for overtime pay, tips, and Social Security remains uncertain and may be delayed to a separate bill.
“South Sudan cannot afford yet another crisis. The world’s youngest country has received more than one million people who fled the ongoing war in Sudan, while millions of its citizens continue to recover from years of conflict and crisis at home,” Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR’s regional director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region, said in a statement.
Political instability and rising hostilities since late February between armed groups have led to fresh clashes, particularly in Upper Nile state, but also other hot spots, devastating lives and damaging essential services.
The UN agency said that some 100,000 people seeking safety in the neighboring countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, cited insecurity, intercommunal violence and deteriorating humanitarian conditions as the main reasons for flight.
According to the UNHCR, humanitarian access to an estimated 65,000 newly internally displaced people in affected communities remains significantly constrained due to fighting and movement restrictions in Upper Nile state and other areas.
Desperately needed aid, including medicine and health care to tackle an increase in cholera cases, has come to a halt, it said, noting that looming rains are likely to exacerbate the situation, with flooding making transport problematic and expensive.
The UNHCR said it requires 36 million U.S. dollars to support up to 343,000 internally displaced people in South Sudan and refugees arriving in neighboring countries over the next six months.
“We reiterate calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urge all parties to spare civilians more suffering and find a peaceful solution,” Balde stressed.
South Sudan remains one of the largest displacement crises in the region, with more than 2.3 million South Sudanese living as refugees in the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, the UNHCR said.
With 94.4 percent of the votes counted after midnight, Lee won 48.8 percent and his major rival Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party took 42.0 percent, the National Election Commission data showed.
Even if all the remaining uncounted votes go to Kim, Lee will win the presidential by-election, confirming his victory.
Local broadcaster JTBC and three terrestrial broadcasters including KBS, MBC and SBS forecast earlier that Lee was certain to be elected the country’s 21st president.
Preliminary voter turnout reached 79.4 percent, marking the highest in 28 years since the voting rate recorded 80.7 percent in 1997.
Out of about 44.39 million eligible voters, some 35.24 million cast their ballots at 14,295 polling stations across the country.
The voter turnout, which included those who participated in early voting last Thursday and Friday, was up from 77.1 percent tallied in the previous presidential election in 2022.
President Kagame arrived in Algiers earlier on Tuesday at the invitation of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The two Heads of State presided over the signing of wide-ranging agreements covering areas such as air services, visa exemption, communication, police cooperation, pharmaceuticals, higher education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, telecommunications, justice, professional training, and investment promotion.
The signing followed bilateral discussions between the leaders and their respective delegations, reflecting a shared ambition to deepen economic, diplomatic, and institutional ties.
Speaking at a joint press conference, President Kagame and President Tebboune reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the longstanding relationship between their countries.
President Kagame also announced that Rwanda would soon open an embassy in Algeria, a move expected to enhance diplomatic engagement and expand avenues for collaboration.
Earlier in the day, President Kagame was received with full honours in Algiers, where he held a private meeting with President Tebboune.
The two leaders discussed continental priorities, including the promotion of intra-African trade, capacity building, and the importance of sharing experiences in post-conflict recovery and nation-building.
President Kagame also visited the Maqam Echahid (Martyrs’ Memorial), where he laid a wreath in honour of those who died during Algeria’s war of independence.
As part of his visit, Kagame is expected to tour the National School of Artificial Intelligence (ENSIA), where five Rwandan students are currently enrolled in AI and Data Science programmes.
This marks Kagame’s second official visit to Algeria since 2015. The trip builds on growing momentum in Rwanda-Algeria relations, particularly following a meeting between the two leaders in December 2024 on the sidelines of the Continental Forum on Education and Youth Employability in Mauritania.
Algeria and Rwanda share a history of robust bilateral cooperation. In the 2016/2017 academic year, Algeria awarded scholarships to 25 Rwandan students, reflecting its commitment to educational partnerships.
Since 1982, the two countries have signed multiple agreements spanning economic development, cultural exchange, and institutional cooperation, with Algeria’s opening of its embassy in Kigali in December 2023 marking a significant step in deepening diplomatic ties.
