Exports of Rwanda’s 3Ts minerals, Tin (cassiterite), Tungsten (wolframite), and Tantalum (coltan), rose by 46.2 per cent between January and December 2025, helping to cut the country’s trade deficit by 8.4per cent, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The deficit narrowed from $3 billion (approximately Rwf4.3 trillion) to $2.7 billion (approximately Rwf3.9 trillion) compared to the same period in 2024, Finance Minister Yusuf Murangwa told lawmakers while presenting the revised national budget in parliament last week. ALSO READ: Mining: High tin prices 'may lift investor interest in Rwanda' Industry players attribute the strong performance to a combination of higher international prices, increased investment, and a gradual shift from artisanal to more modern mining methods. Prices drive investment Ibrahim Kalisa, the Managing Director of NEMEP Trading Ltd, a minerals trading company, said the price rally has transformed the sector’s economics. ALSO READ: Critical minerals: 'Rwanda should do something about global overpricing' “Early last year, a kilogramme of tin was trading at about Rwf35,000. Today it is around Rwf56,000,” Kalisa said, recalling that when he entered the business in 2009, prices on the London Metal Exchange were close to Rwf16,000. He added that tantalum prices have also strengthened, rising from around $2.2 per unit to about $2.7, with prospects of climbing to $3, while tungsten, measured in metric tonne units, has surged to around $1,000 from below $350 in previous years. ALSO READ: How academia-industry ties are making Rwanda next mining investment destination “These gains allow traders and mining cooperatives to invest more,” he said. “We are now able to make advance payments, adopt better technology and operate for longer hours, including underground work that previously faced oxygen constraints.” Kalisa said his exports have more than doubled. “I used to export about 15 tonnes of each of the 3Ts. Today, I ship between 30 and 50 tonnes per mineral, mainly to China, with a strong focus on coltan and wolfram.” Shift to modern mining The price upswing has accelerated the transition from artisanal to semi-industrial and industrial operations. Jean-Baptiste Mbarushimana, the Managing Director of SRMC Mining Company, based in Kamonyi District, said mechanisation has been a major productivity booster. “We now use three excavators and two Howo trucks,” he said. “In the past, we relied almost entirely on manual labour to dig and carry sand to the processing area.” Mbarushimana noted that international prices have continued to firm up. Since August last year, cassiterite prices have risen from about Rwf26,000 to Rwf40,000 per kilogramme, while tantalum prices have followed a similar upward trend. He also cited favourable weather conditions. “We have not experienced heavy rains in recent months, which has allowed operations to continue without major disruptions,” he said. Operational improvements have reduced losses as well. “We now store reserves properly and process them later instead of discarding material, which used to happen before.” Innocent Kagenga, the Chairperson of Rwanda Mining Association, said structural changes across the sector are reinforcing investor confidence. “Modern equipment such as jackhammers has replaced traditional hoes, enabling miners to achieve in hours what used to take weeks,” Kangenga said. He added that training programmes are producing more skilled engineers, while improved infrastructure, particularly electricity and roads, has lowered operating costs. Prices have played a decisive role, he noted. “Cassiterite prices have nearly doubled compared to last year, while wolfram has almost tripled.” Beyond prices, Kangenga pointed to Rwanda’s reputation for security and responsible mining. “Investors remain interested because of stability and the behaviour of citizens,” he said, adding that Rwanda’s mineral traceability system reassures international buyers that exports are legally and responsibly sourced. “This traceability gives confidence to smelters and investors, including those in Malaysia and the United States, that Rwanda’s minerals are clean,” he said.
