Overview of mineral reserves availability in Rwanda: opportunities and challenges

• Published in: Environment, development and sustainability Vol. 25; no. 10; pp. 10599 - 10626
• Main Authors: Dusengemungu, Didier-Robert, Zhou, Zhifang, Liu, Jinhao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.10.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Availability; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Economic Geology; Economic Growth; Electronic publishing; Environment; Environmental degradation; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Exploration; Exports; Investments; Literature reviews; Mineral exploration; Mineral industry; Mineral reserves; Mineral resources; Minerals; Mining industry; Policy making; Reserves; Review; Sustainable Development; Rwanda; Mineral industry; Foreign investment; Mineral reserve; Exports; Rwanda
• ISSN: 1387-585X; 1573-2975
• DOI: 10.1007/s10668-022-02548-4

This paper is a review discussing Rwanda's mineral reserves. It aims to identify challenges and opportunities for investment and development of the country's mining sector. Data were collected from the literature review including existing published books, articles, mining reports, and online documents on Rwandan mineral reserves from the GoR and NISR. Results show that Rwanda's mineral resources and reserves are thin, owing to the nature of the largely artisanal and small-scale mining activities in the country that are associated with very limited mine planning and exploration. The Rwandan government and mining industries have been undertaking initiatives to increase mineral production efficiency because Rwanda exports most of its mineral resources. To ensure sustainable development from mineral exports and more attraction from foreign investors, there is a need to understand the available mineral reserve in the country and the current status of environmental degradation due to mining. In addition, Rwanda requires large foreign investments to explore the mineral industry. Therefore, to determine enough targets for such investments, researchers and policymakers should comprehend in-depth the current accessible mineral reserve, exploration status, and gaps for future investments to enhance mineral-generated income. Thus, this article discusses the available mineral reserve and the current level of exploration. Furthermore, Rwanda's mining sector management characteristics are highlighted. This article's data have highlighted measures that should be adopted to ensure the full-speed development of Rwanda's mines exports.