Rwanda

• Country profile
• Permits
• Exploration programme
• Exploration results

Country summary

General information

Rwanda, a Belgian colony until 1962, today enjoys one of the most stable and effective governments in Africa. It is successfully dealing with the social and economic consequences of 30 years of authoritarian rule which culminated in genocidal warfare during 1994.

Government organisation

The government of President Paul Kagame has introduced laws that encourage private investment, offer security of tenure, and contain provisions for international settlement of commercial disputes. The President has considerable support, both internally and externally.

Mining industry

Rwanda is relatively unexplored in terms of gold. In 2007 TransAfrika had the foresight and vision to explore for gold in Rwanda. TransAfrika’s exploration methodology has yielded tangible results in Rwanda. The Byumba Concession, started as a grassroots project in February 2008, yielded Rwanda’s first ever gold resource statement. To qualify on international capital markets resources have to comply with the Australian JORC code, the Canadian NI 3 101 or the South African SAMREC Code. Exploration work by TransAfrika fulfilled the necessary criteria and modelling showed an inferred resource of 257 000oz gold under the South African SAMREC code.

The Rwandan mineral industry has consisted mostly of a number of small cooperatives and individual artisanal miners who have produced ores and concentrates from scattered locations generally in a 30km wide zone that extended east–west through Kigali. In 2000, the government privatised Régie d'Epxloitation et de Développement des Mines, the state mining exploration company.

Before the genocide of 1994, mineral commodities typically provided 10% of export earnings, mainly from concentrates of tin, tungsten, and colombium-tantalum ores, and gold bullion.

In 1999, mining accounted for less than 1% of GDP, and tungsten, tin ore and concentrates accounted for 5% of exports. Cement was Rwanda's top industry in 2002, and tin ore was the fourth-ranking export commodity.

In 2000, estimated mineral production included 345 tonnes of tin ore (metal content), compared to 260 tonnes in 1998 and 400 tonnes in 1993; tungsten ore, 130 tonnes, compared to 49 tonnes in 1996 and 175 tonnes in 1993. 69 600 tonnes of cement was produced in 2000 whilst columbite-tantalite ore and concentrate (gross weight) production was 83 000kg, down from 224 000kg in 1998.

Only 10kg of gold was produced in 2000. Despite this, high levels of the precious metal had been found in many areas of the country, such as Karongi, Gicumbi and Kirehe.