{"id":2000131780,"date":"2026-11-09T17:06:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000131780"},"modified":"2026-11-10T17:29:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T15:29:44","slug":"15-omani-companies-eye-rwanda-as-gateway-to-east-african-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/15-omani-companies-eye-rwanda-as-gateway-to-east-african-market\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Omani companies eye Rwanda as gateway to East African market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The companies will participate in the Oman-Rwanda Business Forum in Kigali on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in a move aimed at opening new markets for Omani products and services while strengthening commercial ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organised by Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the forum will bring together businesses from sectors including food processing, agricultural products, manufacturing, plastics, energy, technology, technical services and electrical equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Omani delegation will be led by Ghalib Said Al Maamari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Commerce and Industry. Khamis Mohammed Al Shammakhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Transport, will also participate alongside government officials and business representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key focus of the forum will be bilateral business meetings, giving Omani companies an opportunity to engage with Rwandan counterparts on export arrangements, distribution networks and potential trade partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions will also examine Rwanda’s market requirements, including regulatory and logistical considerations, as well as its potential to serve as a gateway to wider East African markets such as Kenya and Tanzania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al Maamari said the initiative reflects Oman’s efforts to strengthen economic relations with African countries, diversify its trading partners and expand markets for its exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described Rwanda as a market offering opportunities across several productive and service sectors, adding that the ministry was working to help Omani businesses establish direct connections with potential partners and identify areas for sustainable trade and investment cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhanad Hamoud Al Riyamy, Senior Specialist in Foreign Trade Development at the ministry, noted that the forum was part of broader efforts to diversify destinations for Oman’s non-oil exports and tap into opportunities in African markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described Rwanda as a promising market for Omani companies seeking to expand their operations and reach new consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madayn Mubarak Al Balushi, Head of the Export Development Department at the ministry, said the country’s export promotion initiative, Oman Exports, was supporting businesses through trade missions, bilateral meetings, international exhibitions and access to market information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kigali forum is expected to help participating companies understand local demand, import requirements and distribution channels, allowing them to assess opportunities before committing to expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building on stronger bilateral ties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business forum comes less than two months after Rwanda and Oman signed eight agreements and memoranda of understanding during President Paul Kagame’s official visit to the Gulf country in September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreements included arrangements on double taxation avoidance and visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic, special and service passports, alongside six memoranda covering political consultations, labour, trade and investment, logistics, agriculture, and strategic partnership and investment activation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two countries have also moved to strengthen energy and transport links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda is expected to receive monthly shipments of refined petroleum products from Oman through Tanzania’s Port of Tanga, an arrangement officials are confident will help strengthen fuel supply security and stabilise prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connectivity has also improved following the launch of direct flights between Muscat and Kigali by Oman’s SalamAir on July 21, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route provides a direct link for business travellers and tourists while connecting Rwanda to the airline’s wider network across the Gulf, Asia and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the latest business forum, both countries are seeking to translate growing diplomatic engagement and transport connectivity into stronger private-sector partnerships, trade and investment flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Oman, the initiative offers an opportunity to expand the reach of its non-oil exports into East Africa, while Rwanda is positioning itself as an entry point for international businesses seeking access to the region’s growing markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"15
The companies will participate in the Oman-Rwanda Business Forum in Kigali on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in a move aimed at opening new markets for Omani products and services while strengthening commercial ties between the two countries.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifteen Omani companies are set to explore business and investment opportunities in Rwanda as the Gulf country steps up efforts to expand its trade links with East Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000131781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[62],"tags":[151,72],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000131780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-62","tag-editors-choice","tag-featured-news-home","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000131781,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479.jpeg","alt":"15 Omani companies eye Rwanda as gateway to East African market","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":666,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479-150x150.jpeg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479-300x200.jpeg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479-768x511.jpeg","width":768,"height":511},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479.jpeg","width":1000,"height":666},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/moi20758479.jpeg","width":1000,"height":666}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000131780"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131780\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000131782,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131780\/revisions\/2000131782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000131781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000131780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000131780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000131780"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000131780"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000131780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}