The budget needed for the construction of Kigali Wholesale Market for Fresh Produce (KWMFP), meant to ensure efficient handling of horticultural products such as fruits and vegetables, has been revised upwards, following a new feasibility study, according to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). The update was provided on January 22 by NAEB Chief Executive Officer Claude Bizimana, during a session with the Parliamentary Committee on Governance and Gender Affairs. ALSO READ: Rwf25 billion fruit market to reduce post-harvest losses During the session, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and NAEB addressed issues raised in the Office of the Ombudsman’s 2024/25 report, including losses linked to inadequate post-harvest handling of fresh or horticultural produce – including fruits and vegetables. Overall, post-harvest losses currently stand at around 30 per cent, according to the ministry. Bizimana said the new study indicated that the market will require €47.5 million (about $53.4 million) for construction, up from $34.2 million projected in the previous study—representing an increase of about 56 per cent—reflecting changes in the project’s scope. According to NAEB, the revision was due to a change in the project site, which expanded from 6.4 hectares to 10.8 hectares at Kigali Special Economic Zone. The larger site allows for increased capacity and improved infrastructure. Once completed, the market is expected to handle up to 265,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. ALSO READ: How rural farmers plan to tap into Kigali’s new fresh produce market Bizimana said that the Government of Rwanda will finance 50 per cent of the project through a loan from the OPEC Fund, while the remaining half will be provided as a grant from the Netherlands, through Invest International. Currently, he said, there are ongoing discussions between the concerned bodies including the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), NAEB, OPEC and Invest International and the appraisal process. “Teams from the Netherlands – Invest International – and OPEC Fund are expected to come [to Rwanda] in February [2026] so that we sign the relevant agreements, after which construction can begin,” he said. The construction phase is expected to last 2 to 2.5 years, starting once financing arrangements are finalised, he pointed out. Rationale for the new market According to NAEB, the Kigali Wholesale Market for Fresh Produce is designed as a modern wholesale marketing infrastructure project that will be based on a service model that guarantees food safety, traceability and quality, while strengthening the efficiency of the country’s overall system of fresh produce production, cold chain, storage capacity and logistics. At present, about 86 per cent of wholesale fresh produce in Kigali passes through Nyabugogo, an area described as overcrowded, inefficient, with hygiene concerns and limited traceability and price transparency, NAEB indicated. The new market, it observed, will help address these challenges by improving price transparency, reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing food safety standards, promoting exports, and creating employment opportunities. On the expected impact from the new market, Bizimana cited the provision of standard trading facilities, reduction of post-harvest losses, improved food safety, export promotion, efficiency gains, price transparency, employment, and environmental and liveability benefits. The project is also expected to improve farmers’ incomes by reducing the dominance of intermediaries, who currently capture about 70 per cent of the final value of fresh produce, as per estimates from NAEB. It will be implemented in two phases, which are Phase I, covering construction and upstream and downstream investments over the first four years; and Phase II, which will follow, focusing on value addition.
