Kigali, Rwanda. 25 September 2025. Sweden will support Rwanda’s trade through the Swedish Initiative for Facilitating Trade in Africa (SWIFT), a four-year (2024–2028) programme implemented by TradeMark Africa. The initiative will make cross-border trade faster, cheaper and more efficient by applying proven regional approaches tailored to national priorities. Covering the Abidjan-Lagos, Berbera, and LAPSSET corridors, SWIFT backs national-level interventions in East, West and Southern Africa that helps African countries cut red tape, adopt digital solutions, and expand access to regional and global markets. So far, Sweden has committed $15M for SWIFT as part of wider Swedish investment across key African corridors. Of this, approximately $5M will be directed to support interventions along the Northern Corridor, which is Rwanda’s main trade route.

Rwanda’s exports reached $4.4 billion in 2024, growing by 3.3% since 2021. Yet many traders -especially small cross-border traders – still face high costs, delays, and non-tariff barriers that limit opportunities for women and youth.

As part of the SWIFT partnership, Sweden will support Rwanda in:

1. Faster clearance of goods by upgrading its customs system to speed up processes and reduce costs for traders.
2. Promoting inclusive trade through formalisation of 2,000 cross-border traders – mostly women and youth – into cooperatives and associations so they can access finance and larger markets.
3. Reducing barriers by strengthening national efforts to eliminate non-tariff barriers along key trade corridors.
4. Expanding digitalisation through the Rwanda Electronic Single Window and platforms such as iSOKO to make trade more transparent and accessible.

“Sweden is proud to support Rwanda in removing barriers to trade and ensuring that small businesses, especially women and youth-owned, are not left behind,” said Martina Fors Mohlin, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Rwanda. Rosine Uwamariya, Country Director for TradeMark Africa in Rwanda, noted: “This investment shows how Rwanda is turning regional integration into real opportunities for its traders. SWIFT is a model that other countries can easily replicate.”