Tin prices on the international market have climbed to their highest levels in years, coming up to $50,000 per tonne up from $32,000 per tonne, the average price in 2025, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent compared to last year. The jump reflects renewed demand from electronics, renewable energy technologies and industrial manufacturing, alongside supply constraints in key producing regions, according to experts. ALSO READ: Trinity Metals plans $100m investment in Rwanda mineral operations Peter Geleta, the Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Metals, a key mining company in Rwanda, said sustained high prices could attract fresh investment into Rwanda’s mining industry, provided the country maintains an investor-friendly environment. “Rwanda needs to maintain its position as a stable, investor-friendly destination and build on its reputation as a high-potential mining region that encourages international mining practices,” he said. While higher prices can strengthen revenues, Geleta said the rise in tin prices has not yet altered the company’s export volumes, as production, rather than pricing, determines monthly sales. “Trinity Metals sells all the tin it produces each month and does not stockpile output. Our production levels have been flat over the past six months at around 70 to 80 tonnes per month,” Geleta said, adding that the company is now pushing to scale up production in order to take advantage of the favourable market conditions. ALSO READ: Trinity Metals plans to tap lithium potential, scale mineral production Trinity Metals, which operates Rwanda’s two largest tin mines, Rutongo and Musha, as well as Nyakabingo, one of Africa’s most significant tungsten deposits, says the higher prices are easing financial pressure and unlocking investments that had previously been put on hold. “All extra revenue generated from the higher prices are invested back in the business. The higher revenues are allowing us to advance some of the projects that were previously on hold due to capital constraints. All stakeholders benefit including our communities,” said Geleta. ALSO READ: In a first, Rwandan mining company supplies tungsten to US He noted that this reinvestment benefits a wide range of stakeholders, including employees and surrounding communities, through sustained operations and long-term growth rather than short-term windfalls. “We have strict capital allocation governance and cash management ensuring that we get returns for the investment, this way we do not waste money in times of high metal prices,” he said. “A high metal price can easily lead to owners and operators becoming complacent, at Trinity we are guarding against this because we know that we can’t control the metal prices and prices always fluctuate. We always need to maintain our financial discipline through proper cost management.” Geleta stressed that Trinity Metals remains cautious despite the strong market. He said the company is maintaining strict financial discipline to avoid the complacency that can come with high commodity prices. “We cannot control metal prices, and they always fluctuate. Careful capital allocation, cost control and governance remain central to the company’s approach to sustainable and responsible mining,” he said. Across its three mines, Nyakabingo, Rutongo, and Musha Trinity Metals employs more than 6,500 people, 99 percent of whom are Rwandans. The workforce includes 2,500 employees at Rutongo, 2,200 at Musha, and 1,800 at Nyakabingo. It is also the first operating mine in Africa to secure technical assistance funding from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to support environmental and social governance (ESG) initiatives across its operations. Rwanda reaped $1.7 billion from mineral exports in 2024, up from $373 million in 2017. The government projects annual mineral export revenues to reach $2.2 billion by 2029.
