Fine Fish, a company farming fish on Lake Kivu in Rubavu District, plans to build a factory that will produce fish feed locally, hoping to make it easier for farmers to get the supplies they need.
The company plans to invest about 4 billion Rwandan francs ($3.2 million) in the factory at an industrial park in Rubavu.
Fine Fish Director Munyangeyo Themistocles said the company is ready to begin work once the necessary infrastructure at the site is in place.
“We are ready to start the factory project,” Munyangeyo said during a meeting with private-sector representatives in Rubavu on Sept. 12.
The company has already ordered machinery worth around 3 billion francs, he said. Construction and other equipment will bring the total investment to about 4 billion francs.
For fish farmers around Lake Kivu, having feed produced closer to where they operate could make a noticeable difference. Instead of relying on supplies transported from elsewhere, farmers could have a more local source of feed, potentially making access easier and reducing some transport challenges.
The project could also benefit from improvements to transport links in the region.
Munyangeyo pointed to the Kivu Belt road and the ports of Rubavu and Rusizi as infrastructure that could help move raw materials and finished products.
The Rusizi port is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, while the port in Rubavu is already being used to transport goods.
The investment comes at a time when Rwanda is trying to produce more fish locally.
Government figures show that fish production rose to 52,439 tonnes in 2025, from 43,133 tonnes a year earlier. The country also produced 71.6 million fingerlings during the year to support the growing number of fish farmers.
Rwanda has set a target of producing 80,620 tonnes of fish annually by 2035.
But reaching that target will require more than increasing the number of fish farms. Farmers also need reliable access to the feed that helps fish grow.
That is the gap Fine Fish hopes its new factory will help fill, while also adding another local business to Rwanda’s growing aquaculture value chain.
