Rwanda Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in rwanda, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview

The Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) is the government institution charged with the implementation of standards, testing, product certification, accreditation, labeling, marking, and technical regulations. Rwandan standards are flexible, and market driven. RSB does not have in-house capacity to develop standards and largely relies on (and coordinates) technical committees made of researchers, manufacturers, academia, other government institutions, and consumer representatives that work together to develop standards.  

The Board operates with a formal organizational structure comprising four divisions: National Standards Division, National Quality Testing Laboratories, National Metrology Services, and National Certification Division.  

While technical committees remain central to standards development, RSB has strengthened its in-house technical capacity, especially in conformity assessment and metrology services. Some new standards are derived from international treaties that Rwanda signs. Rwanda adopts and harmonizes standards from both international treaties and regional organizations such as the East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), African Organization for Standardization (ARSO), and global bodies like ISO and WTO, ensuring alignment with global trade practices and regulatory frameworks. Among these, mandatory standards primarily relate to health, safety, environmental protection, and consumer goods, while voluntary standards support industrial quality improvements and market competitiveness.  

There is a mix of mandatory and voluntary standards.  Standards related to health, safety, and environmental protection are mandatory both for local production and import.  These mandatory standards underpin Rwanda’s commitment to sustainable development and consumer protection, key pillars of the Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2, 2024-2029) and RSB’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. RSB posts standards under review on its website and issues notifications.  RSB maintains an online platform for public consultations, where draft standards are posted for review and comments are invited during 30 to 90-day periods. Parties that do not have a manufacturing presence in the market can participate in standards development by filing comments and receiving feedback during public reviews. This participatory approach extends to international stakeholders, including foreign manufacturers and exporters, who may engage remotely by providing input during public review phases, thereby influencing standards that affect Rwanda’s market.

Standards

Rwanda develops domestic standards through a transparent, consensus-driven process and actively adopts international standards, ensuring alignment with both regional and global best practices. Rwanda is a member of the EAC Standards Technical Management Committee as well as other regional bodies like COMESA, ARSO, and SADC, to facilitate harmonization of standards across member states. Approved EAC measures are generally incorporated into the Rwandan legal framework within six months and are formally published in the National Gazette like other domestic laws and regulations, making them legally binding. In addition to regional bodies, Rwanda is a member of key international standardization organizations and adopts their standards to support global trade and technological compatibility.

These include:

•    ISO:  International Organization for Standardization.
•    IEC:  International Electro-technical Commission.
•    IEEE:  Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
•    CODEX:  CODEX Alimentarius International Food Standards.
•    ITU:  International Telecommunication Union.
•    OIML:  International Organization of Legal Metrology.
•    COMESA:  Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
•    ARSO:  African Organization for Standardization.
•    AFSEC:  The African Electro-Technical Standardization Commission.
•    SADC:  Southern African Development Community.
•    WTO:  World Trade Organization.
•    EAC:  East African Community.

Testing, Inspection, and Certification

Generally, products enter the market freely, but those related to health, safety, or environment require authorization via RSB and Rwanda FDA using the Rwanda Single Electronic Window. This integration streamlines release approvals and reduces clearance times. To allow quick release and avoid custom warehouse charges, RSB and FDA employees may conduct quality checks at the importer’s premises, enabling faster release without prolonged customs storage.

Publication of Technical Regulations

Proposed technical regulations are regularly published by the RSB for public comment to ensure inclusiveness and relevance. U.S. companies are encouraged to provide feedback during consultation periods on any proposed regulations. Final regulations are published in the Official Gazette. Time allowed to comment on proposed technical regulations varies between 30 and 90 days. RSB prepares an annual standards development workplan based on stakeholder requirements and market analysis to guide its activities.

For the latest and most current plans as of 2025, users are encouraged to visit the RSB’s official “Standards for Public Review” and the RFDA’s publications pages, which provide updates and downloadable documents:

•    Standards for public review
•    RSB Publications & Work Plans

Contact Information:
Rwanda Standards Board
KK 15 Rd #49
+250 252-582945/586103, Hotline:  3250
Email: info@rsb.gov.rw

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995, to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and is a versatile tool that can be used to: 

  • Follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest,
  • Receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are distributed,
  • Find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees.
     

Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates an Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat.  All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point.  Refer to the comment guidance at https://www.nist.gov/notifyus/commenting for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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