A Message from the CEO
Chief Executive Officer,
Rwanda Mines, Petroleum & Gas Board
Dear Partners, Friends of Rwanda and all Mining Week attendees,
Welcome to the eighth edition of Rwanda Mining Week 2025 – a premier convening of industry leaders, policymakers, investors, academics, and civil society.
Thank you to our distinguished guests, sponsors, and thought leaders for your partnership. Your presence affirms our shared commitment to a mining sector that is globally competitive, responsibly governed, and innovation-driven.
As the world accelerates into the digital era, Rwanda is a trusted source of responsibly sourced critical minerals. Our sector is transitioning decisively from artisanal to semi-mechanised and, ultimately, fully mechanised operations. We have invested in state-of-the-art smelting and refining capabilities to serve local, regional, and international markets anchored on international standards for due diligence for responsible supply chains.
Rwanda offers compelling opportunities across the value chain – from exploration and services to processing, value addition, and advanced manufacturing. We invite responsible investors who share our vision of sustainable growth and shared prosperity.
This week is designed for real outcomes, knowledge exchange, new partnerships, investment deal flow, and practical solutions.
I wish you a productive and inspiring Rwanda Mining Week 2025.
Sincerely,
About Rwanda’s mining sector
Rwanda hosts a large number of historical mineral occurrences and operational mines with major commodities being cassiterite (grade of 76% of Sn), wolframite ( grade from 35 to 70% of tungsten), columbite-tantalite (grade of Tantalum ranging between 25% and 55%), native gold (99.999% of Au), and other pegmatite-related rare minerals such as rare earth elements (REEs), beryl, lithium-bearing minerals, phosphate minerals, gemstones etc.
In addition to this, the country is also endowed with industrial minerals such as amphibolite, granite, quartzite, volcanic rocks, clay, sand, and gravel. Other natural resources such as peat (used for electricity generation or processed as an alternative for firewood) are also in plenty.
Mining operations in Rwanda began in the early 1930s, and since then, the sector has undergone significant reforms, becoming one of the country’s top export revenue earners. By 2024, the mining sector generated $1.75 billion in export earnings, up from $373.4 million in 2017.
Rwanda produces between 8,000 and 9,000 tons of 3T minerals every year and the amount of money depends on the market pricing dynamics.
Rwanda is one of the top global producers of tantalum, producing more than 22% of the world’s tantalum used in electronics manufacturing as of 2024