Equity Group, together with Equity Bank Rwanda, brought the investors to four companies it finances, including footwear maker Landy Industries and clothing manufacturer Dikam Ltd, both based in Masoro Industrial Park.

The delegation also visited Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company, which processes Gorilla’s Coffee, and electric motorcycle manufacturer Ampersand.

The visits were part of Equity Group’s Equity Trade Mission, an initiative that brings investors and businesses from different countries together to explore trade, investment and potential partnerships.

The investors are scheduled to attend a wider business forum in Kigali on Sept. 18, where they will meet government officials and private-sector representatives.

At Dikam, Managing Director Gilbert Kamanzi showed the investors how a business that started from a home with fewer than 10 workers has grown into a company employing nearly 400 people.

The factory now produces more than 3,000 garments a day, including uniforms used by hospitals, schools, government institutions and other organisations.

“Since we started, Equity Bank has supported us greatly,” Kamanzi said, pointing in particular to financing that enabled the company to construct its current factory and move into the industrial park.

The expansion has allowed Dikam to grow its workforce and support hundreds of families.

At Landy Industries, Managing Director Kevin Lion said the company produces about 150,000 pairs of shoes, with roughly half sold in Rwanda and the rest shipped to neighbouring countries.

He said Rwanda’s location and business environment had made it an attractive base for the company as it seeks to serve markets across the region.

For Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company, the focus is increasingly on balancing the local market with exports.

The company sells about 70% of its processed coffee in Rwanda and exports the remaining 30%, according to its chief executive.

The company also plans to expand, with its management saying Rwanda still offers room for investors looking for new opportunities.

Access to foreign currency through Equity Bank has also helped the coffee business move money more quickly and keep its transactions running smoothly, the executive said.

Mahvish Malik, Equity Group’s deputy director for international business, who led the delegation, said the group had organised around 50 trade and investment missions since 2021.

The aim, she said, is to help investors and businesses move beyond traditional banking relationships and find practical opportunities to trade, invest and work together across markets.

For the investors visiting Rwanda, the factory tours provided an opportunity to see those possibilities on the ground — from shoes and uniforms to coffee and electric motorcycles.