THE SWITZERLAND OF AFRICA

Rwanda’s landlocked position in the heart of Africa has long posed challenges for trade, from high transport costs to limited access to global markets. Today, that is changing. Through collaboration between the Rwandan government and DP World, Rwanda is strengthening its logistics infrastructure and links to regional and global supply chains.  

DP World’s Kigali Logistics Platform is an inland port that has unlocked Rwanda’s potential by transforming the country’s logistics system to reduce the time and costs associated with imports and exports. This is enabling Rwanda to emerge as a regional trade hub, connecting neighbouring markets including Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as key routes to Tanzania and the port of Dar es Salaam. 

In doing so, Rwanda is playing a growing role in unlocking trade for more than 200 million people who live in Africa’s landlocked countries. 

This transformation is beginning to reshape Rwanda' s international perception.  

Increasingly, it is being compared to Switzerland, a small, landlocked country that has turned geography into an advantage by positioning itself at the heart of regional trade and finance. 

“Rwanda is becoming the Switzerland of Africa, and Kigali is becoming the Geneva of Africa,” says Giovanni Davite, President of the European Business Chamber in Rwanda and Executive Director of Kipharma, which handles wholesale, import and distribution of pharmaceutical products. “I see many similarities: landlocked, small country, peaceful, green, safe, organised, the similarities are really there.”

It is also a country with huge potential. Rwanda has a young population: more than 78% of Rwandans are under the age of 35, and the median age is 19 years. Furthermore, education is a priority, and Rwanda is one of the top-performing countries in education in sub-Saharan Africa. 

“Rwanda is putting a lot of emphasis on education,” says Davite, “There are some very good universities that have come into Rwanda, like Carnegie Mellon University Africa and the African Leadership University, so the level of education is growing and we can see it.” 

This focus on education is helping build the skills needed to support Rwanda’s long-term economic and trade ambitions. 

An educated workforce is helping Rwanda attract attention as a destination for businesses, and it is ranked as the second-easiest place to do business in Africa by the World Bank. “It's a very entrepreneurial country,” says Davite. “Rwanda is becoming a hub for software coding. So many companies from Europe, instead of doing their coding in India or in East Asia, are doing it here. Many are also investing in the service sector , call centres and so on. There are over 4,000 young Rwandans employed in coding or call centres.”

This growing services sector is strengthening Rwanda’s position within regional and global value chains. 

Davite believes Rwanda could be a financial centre, too. 

“Switzerland is a country that has Geneva and Zurich as its financial centres,” he says. “Rwanda certainly has an opportunity to become a financial centre for Africa and is attracting capital because the continent is developing.”

Attracting investment at this scale further reinforces Rwanda’s role as an emerging hub for trade and commerce. 

“On the other hand, like Switzerland, Rwanda can have industry, but very specialised, very high-end,” he adds. “Switzerland cannot be competitive in, for example, the car industry against Germany, but then they can offer services in the car industry or whatever other sectors. I believe that model fits Rwanda.”

This focus on specialised, high-value industries aligns with Rwanda’s broader ambition to position itself within global trade networks. 

Davite thinks the combination of location, education and strong governance heralds a bright future for Rwanda. 

“You have a leadership that says, ‘This is the way we go, and it happens, everybody follows,” he says. “Rwanda attracts investors, and they like the stability that there is here. They like the fact that it's easy to come here, set up business, and set up your distribution centre. So once again, that’s an opportunity for DP World.”