From the shoes and belts you wear, to the clothes we buy every day, a little-known industry plays a crucial role in bringing these products to the final consumer. Behind them lies a complex leather value chain that transforms raw hides into finished goods. In Rwanda, leather is primarily sourced from cows, goats, and sheep. Stakeholders in the sector, including dealers, processors, and exporters, offer insights into the key stages of this transformation. Aline Niyigena, a Kigali-based exporter of hides and skins, explains that the leather journey starts with farmers, who are often tipped on the good practices of taking care of their animals. ALSO READ: Why Rwanda suspended 80% levy on raw hides export out of EAC “Farmers are advised not to beat animals and to regularly apply insecticides to protect them from parasites. These parasites damage the skin, reducing quality and causing it to tear during processing, making it unfit for international standards,” she explains Jean D’amour Kamayirese, Chairperson of the Rwanda Leather Value Chain Association, agrees, emphasising proper animal care. “Feeding livestock well and keeping them at home rather than in thorny pastures ensures healthier animals with better-quality hides,” he notes. Slaughtering According to value chain experts, the slaughtering process is one of the most critical processes in the value chain, which plays a crucial role in hide quality. Pacifique Nizeyimana, a butcher and hide preparation expert, says traditional methods can damage the skin. “Using knives to skin cows often results in slashes that lower hide quality. Specialized machines now exist to remove skin more cleanly.” ALSO READ: Leather sector: Five key challenges new association seeks to tackle Goats and sheep, being smaller, are still skinned manually with knives, and their hides are pulled off by hand. In rural areas lacking machines, hide quality tends to be poor. Once the skin is removed, it must be salted within four hours to prevent decay—unless refrigerated. Some butcheries have storage facilities where this happens on-site. Where there are no facilities, dealers collect the hides and salt them at central collection points. “We typically use about 5 kg of iodized salt per 30 kg of hide. Larger hides, weighing up to 50 kg, may require up to 7 kg. Properly salted hides can last over a year without spoiling. However, not all hides are salted,” Nizeyimana explains. ALSO READ: EAC losing billions due to poor value addition in horticulture, leather goods According to Kamayirese, “some markets, like Nigeria, prefer unsalted hides for consumption. In such cases, we dry them instead of salting.” Tanning Although Rwanda lacks large-scale tanneries, small processors are active in converting hides into usable leather. Simon Bazambanza, based in Nduba Sector, Gasabo District, uses natural methods for tanning. “We tan using local plants. While chemical tanning is an option, it requires resources and infrastructure that aren’t always available.” ALSO READ: Rwanda’s leather value chain gets Rwf1.4bn boost He said the tanning process typically takes up to 30 days for cow hides, about 15 days for goat skins, and around 10 days for sheep skins, though the duration can vary depending on the technology used. In his case, it generally falls within that range. The tanning process involves soaking where salted or sun-dried hides are soaked in water to rehydrate them, dehairing which involves hair removal, and deliming that removes residuals. “We use banana juice because it’s both natural and effective. If the lime isn’t fully removed, it can cause the hide to tear later,” said Bazambanza. The tanning process also involves curing where hide is treated again with salt and natural tannins like mimosa or Acacia mearnsii, coloring in certain cases, and drying where hides are dried either indoors or in the sun. After these steps, the skin raw materials are ready to be produced into materials like shoes, belts, and other products from hides and animal skin. In order to enhance tanning, the government is in the process of facilitating the establishment of a tannery park in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province, to boost the production of leather-derived goods. Once fully operational, the tannery park is projected to generate $430 million (approximately over Rwf600 billion) in annual revenue. The market outlook Rwanda has temporarily suspended an 80 per cent export levy on raw hides and skins sold outside the East African Community (EAC), a measure in effect from November 2024 to November 2026. The decision was made in response to the claims of stakeholders who said that the market demand was not enough, and it was offering low prices due to a lack of market competition. “A kilogramme of cow hides, which was at Rwf100 in June last year, has now risen to around Rwf500. Small animal skins that were priced at Rwf500 have now increased to the range of between Rwf1,300 and Rwf1,500,” Niyigena said. The suspension opened doors to countries outside the EAC, including West African countries, which are buying hides not only to produce clothes but also for consumption purposes. The government aims to ease trade and support the development of a domestic leather industry. As part of these efforts, several projects are underway, including a $1 million (approximately Rwf1.4 billion) Leather Value Chain Project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), aimed at improving production capacity, value addition, and export potential. “Studies have identified that raw hides and skins produced in Rwanda are among the best quality, not only in Africa but globally,” Minister of Trade and Industry, Prudence Sebahizi, told The New Times in a recent interview.
