Motorcycles assembled in Rwanda have attracted a lot of interest from countries in the region, particularly Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the firm behind the project has said.

Luois Masengesho, the sales director of Rwanda Motorcycle Company (RMC), said the firm has attracted interest from Tanzania and the DR Congo, saying that some traders from the two countries have already placed orders for the motorcycles. "So far, we have been selling bikes on the Rwandan market, but people from Tanzania and from the DRC have expressed interest to buy the motorcycles,” he said.

The Kigali Special Economic Zone-based Rwanda Motorcycle Company opened shop in Rwanda in May.

According to Masengesho, more than 300 motorcycles have been produced since the firm started operations, and 130 bikes have so far been sold on the local market.

The factory has seven motorcycle brands, Ingenzi, Indakangwa, Indahigwa, Imparage, Infarasi and Inzovu, whose Kinyarwanda names "define their strengths”. The motorcycles cost between Rwf1.2 million and Rwf3 million each, depending on engine power and size. They boast of CG250 and CG125 engines.

Masengesho told The New Times in an interview yesterday that the firm targets mainly commercial users (taxi moto operators) and leisure riders for sports bikes. They also target government officials and non-government organisations.

"We are grateful that the market is responding positively, and we are hopeful to increase sales with this interest from the region,” he said.

The motorcycles are some of the ‘special’ products that will be showcased at the forthcoming Made-in-Rwanda annual exhibition later this month.