KARACHI: Mian Zahid Hussain, President of Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF) & All Karachi Industrial Alliance (AKIA) and Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan (NBG) and FPCCI Policy Advisory Board, has termed the bilateral trade and economic cooperation agreement inked between Pakistan and Rwanda on September 24, 2026, in Kigali during the Rwanda-Pakistan Investment Forum a welcome and historic breakthrough for Pakistan’s economy. Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Antoine Kajangwe, and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Naeem Khan, signed the agreement, ushering in a new era of direct business-to-business linkages, the removal of trade barriers, and robust joint ventures between the two nations. Mian Zahid Hussain noted that immense potential exists for deepening economic cooperation between Pakistan and African nations, adding that partnering with a dynamic and stable economy like Rwanda will play a pivotal role in translating Pakistan’s ‘Look Africa Policy’ into tangible reality. Citing official trade data, he noted that during FY2024-25, Pakistan’s imports from Rwanda stood at approximately USD 33. 94 million against meager exports of around USD 0. 58 million, resulting in an acute trade deficit of nearly USD 33. 36 million. He explained that a lion’s share of Pakistan’s tea imports has historically arrived through Kenya and third-party intermediaries, driving procurement costs significantly higher. Under the newly established trade framework, direct tea and coffee shipments from Kigali to Pakistan will become viable, circumventing Kenyan routing, saving local traders hundreds of millions of rupees, and delivering much-needed relief to domestic consumers through affordable retail pricing. Mian Zahid Hussain underlined that Rwanda possesses tremendous demand for Pakistani products — most notably pharmaceuticals, textiles and garments, basmati rice, surgical and medical instruments, sports goods, and agricultural machinery — which can easily yield an immediate export windfall of over USD 100 million in the short term. Drawing a comparative regional perspective, Mian Zahid Hussain highlighted that global powers and regional competitors are aggressively cementing their footprint across African markets. India’s annual bilateral trade with the African continent has already crossed USD 100 billion, China’s trade volume exceeds USD 280 billion, and Türkiye has expanded its trade footprint to USD 40 billion. In stark contrast, Pakistan’s total trade with the entire African continent remains disappointingly stagnant between USD 4 billion and USD 5 billion. He underscored that while Rwanda has a domestic population of 14 million, it serves as the premier strategic gateway and distribution hub for the East African Community (EAC) market of 300 million people and the broader African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which encompasses 1. 4 billion people with a collective GDP of USD 3. 4 trillion. Elaborating on the strategic advantages, Mian Zahid Hussain said the pact enables Pakistani industrialists to set up wholly owned ventures or joint value-addition facilities and distribution networks in Rwanda. Benefiting from Rwanda’s Least Developed Country (LDC) status, goods manufactured there enjoy preferential market access and duty-free concessions across several prominent global markets. Consequently, Pakistani manufacturers can distribute goods under preferential tariff structures across East Africa, Central Africa, Europe, and beyond, enabling investors to enter exponentially. Mian Zahid Hussain urged the Federal Government and the State Bank of Pakistan to resolve banking channels, freight logistics, and remittance settlement mechanisms as a priority, emphasizing that because Rwanda is landlocked, seamless maritime and port linkages are essential for unimpeded trade flows. He strongly advised trade bodies and chambers of commerce in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi to engage proactively with the high-powered Rwandan trade delegation visiting Pakistan in October 2026, capitalize on the joint facilitation offered by the investment boards of both countries, and secure concrete bilateral commercial agreements to place the national economy on a sustainable growth trajectory. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Pakistan, Rwanda trade pact to usher in robust joint ventures
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