The Rwanda High Commission in Pakistan has hosted the first ever Rwanda Coffee Festival in Islamabad, with the introduction of Rwandan coffee to the South Asian nation a key goal of the summit.
Pakistan, while traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, has seen a significant rise in the popularity of coffee in recent years, with a Trade Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two nations in 2025.
The annual quantity of coffee produced in Rwanda is somewhere between 20,000 and 22,000 tonnes according to the Rwanda Development Board, which also states an increase of fully washed, ordinary coffee export volumes, and revenues “every year”.
Attendees and speakers at the event included H.E. Mr Prudence Sebahizi, Minister of Trade and Industry in Rwanda; H.E. Harerimana Fatou, Rwanda High Commissioner to Pakistan; Claude Bizimana, CEO of the National Agricultural Export and Development Board (NAEB), and Mr Sardar Yasir Ilyas, National Coordinator to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Tourism.
Pakistan is the fifth most populated nation in the world. According to its 2023 census its total population stood at 241.49 million people with an annual growth rate of 2.55 per cent.
The festival was held on January 29-30, and also featured panel discussions from Rwandan exporters and Pakistani importers.
