KIGALI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda's economy maintained strong momentum in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, with real GDP growth accelerating to 10.6 percent from 6.3 percent in the 2024/2025 fiscal year, according to an annual report released by the central bank on Friday.
In the report, the National Bank of Rwanda said that the growth was supported by resilient domestic demand, increased investment and broad-based expansion across major sectors.
Services growth was driven by strong performance in trade and transport, information and communication technology, financial services and public administration, said the report.
Agriculture rode on increased production of export crops and fish, alongside moderate growth in food crop production, while industry expanded strongly, led by mining, riding on favorable international commodity prices and higher mineral exports.
Sustained public and private infrastructure investment supported construction, while manufacturing growth was driven particularly by food processing and the production of construction materials.
The country's external sector showed resilience in 2025/2026, supported by strong merchandise export earnings, remittance inflows and sustained capital inflows.
Merchandise exports grew by 33.0 percent, outpacing the 12.1 percent increase in merchandise imports, narrowing the merchandise trade deficit by 2.8 percent, according to the report.
The central bank said the developments, together with reforms to enhance transparency and efficiency in the foreign exchange market, supported greater exchange-rate stability.
The Rwandan franc's depreciation against the U.S. dollar moderated significantly to 2.28 percent, from 9.68 percent in the previous financial year, according to the report.
The Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda Soraya Hakuziyaremye said that persistent inflation presented one of the most significant challenges, with headline inflation averaging 9.2 percent, above the 2 to 8 percent target range.
Rwanda's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
