Manufacturing
	Energy
	Construction

 

Industry Tables

Industry constitutes about 20% of the GDP (of which 0.1% mining; 12.6% manufacturing; 0.5%  electricity and water, and 6.5% construction in 1998) and together employs less than 2 percent of the population.

 

Manufacturing

Manufacturing value added remains relatively low at about 13% of GDP in 1998.  Industrialization in Rwanda started in 1978 and most of the manufacturing is small (with capital investment of less than 1 million dollars), with some medium-sized enterprises (Beer/soft-drinks, cement, and textiles).  Apart from coffee and tea, which constitute the base of a promising agro-industry, other agriculture activities are far from being industrialized.  All other manufacturing units are producing for domestic consumption and mostly are for import substitution.

The revamp of manufacturing activities starting from 1995 was very slow: only about 40% of the pre-war industries started their activities with most producing at less than 75% of their capacities.  However, since then, the output has been growing at a rapid pace averaging 19% owing to the recovery of many factories particularly beverages and cement which now have almost reached their 1993 levels. 

Concerning the food industry: the major inputs of raw material to the factories are from domestic products and all the outputs are sold in the local market.  Many of the pre-war factories are currently still not rehabilitated, e.g. oils, sugar, and tomato.  The other factories namely chemical, textile, metal, non metal, paper, are mainly only processing industries which import more than 80% of raw material inputs.

Energy

Currently, electricity production and distribution is by state a enterprise—ELECTROGAZ.  There are four hydropower stations in the country: Ntaruka (11.3 MW), Mukungwa (12.5 MW), Gihira (1.8 MW), and Gisenyi (1.1 MW) and one thermal station in Gatsata (2 MW).  Due to a substantial increase in the demand for electricity recently and some of the hydro plants need to be repaired and rehabilitated, there were some imports of 56.9 million kwh from Rusizi (I and II) stations, in the DR Congo in 1998.

Construction

Recently, the construction sector has been increasing at a rapid rate of more than 20% annually especially in Kigali City.  This is due to the demand for housing in urban areas and a large influx of returnees in rural areas.  

 

There are currently various on-going studies to help develop and promote the industry sector.