Rwanda's economy maintains strong performance in H1 2026: central bank

KIGALI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's economy continued to grow strongly in the first half (H1) of 2026, with real gross domestic product (GDP) expanding by 9.7 percent year on year, supported by services, industry and agriculture, the country's central bank said Thursday in its latest Monetary Policy and Financial Stability Statement.

The services sector continued to anchor economic expansion, growing by 7.4 percent in H1 2026, mainly supported by strong performance in trade and transport services, the statement showed.

The industry sector recorded strong growth of 15.5 percent, while the agriculture sector expanded by 5.9 percent in the period.

"Despite the shocks our economy has gone through this year, GDP growth of 9.7 percent in the first six months is very high. Growth has been broad-based, driven by strong performance in industry, services and agriculture, with construction and manufacturing playing a key role," Soraya Hakuziyaremye, governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, said when releasing the statement in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.

Meanwhile, the central bank showed that Rwanda's economy is projected to remain resilient in the second half of 2026, with continued expansion in non-agricultural sectors supporting projected annual growth of 7.8 percent.

However, it said the medium-term outlook remains subject to downside risks arising from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which could disrupt international trade, increase transport and input costs, and weaken external demand.