Rwanda has started trading under the UK’s low tariff scheme which came into force on Wednesday, June 21.

The Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) announced in 2022 cuts tariffs on products entering the UK from 65 developing countries, including Rwanda, and simplifies trading rules so that more products qualify.

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In Kigali, the scheme was launched on Wednesday at an event hosted by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze.

A statement from the UK embassy in Kigali noted that the scheme will benefit developing countries looking to diversify and increase exports, "driving their prosperity and reducing their need for aid.”

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The British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Omar Daair, said UK and Rwanda enjoy a deep and meaningful partnership covering many areas of mutual interest, among which is trade.

"Trade is an important and growing part of the relationship and as a High Commission we are keen to do what we can do to help that reach new heights,” he said.

Paul Whittingham, Head of the UK’s Trade for Development department in London, said the new scheme will provide a more generous trading arrangement for Rwanda thanks to simplified and more flexible rules of origin, making it easier to produce goods using components from other countries without losing duty-free status.

The DCTS covers 37 countries in Africa, 26 in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, and two in the Americas.

Ngabitsinze said the removal of tariff barriers will increase the volumes of Rwandan products going to the UK market but noted that there is work to do in terms of producing good quality products and in larger quantities.