Rio Tinto Executives Meet Kagame

KIGALI – President Paul Kagame on Friday met with a high-level delegation from global mining giant Rio Tinto to discuss the progress of their strategic partnership in the country.

The delegation, led by Rio Tinto’s Chief Technical Officer Mark Davies, focused on providing updates on the ongoing joint venture and exploring further areas of collaboration.

This latest engagement builds on a series of foundational meetings between President Kagame and Rio Tinto’s top leadership.

In July 2023, the President held talks with Dominic Barton, the company’s then-Chair, to lay the groundwork for partnership.

This was followed by a meeting with Rio Tinto’s CEO, Jakob Stausholm, during the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024, where discussions centered on investment in Rwanda’s mining sector.

These high-level discussions culminated in the formalization of a partnership with Rio Tinto Minerals Development Limited.

The venture is focused on the exploration and mining of lithium and associated rare earth minerals in Rwanda’s Western Province.

The initiative is central to the government’s ambition to develop its mineral sector into a major economic driver and position Rwanda as a key supplier of critical materials for the global energy transition.

In 2024, Rwanda achieved a landmark by accruing $1.7 billion in revenue from mineral exports—a nearly 54% jump from the $1.1 billion recorded in 2023.

Gold remained the dominant export, contributing approximately $1.5 billion, which accounted for nearly 88% of mineral earnings. This came from over 19 tonnes of refined gold exported, up from just 2.4 tonnes in 2017.

Looking forward, the government has set a bold goal under the country’s ambitious development agenda to lift annual mineral export revenues to around $2.17–2.2 billion by 2029, nearly doubling the current level.

Friday’s meeting underscores the continued commitment from both sides to advance the project from strategic agreement to operational reality.