applynow

Shopping in Rwanda

Find Programs
(Bachelor's, Master's & PhD)

Let's be honest! Studying abroad comes in handy with a good shopping culture! Everyone wants to get time to explore markets and pick a few goodies to add to the cart list! Shopaholics welcome to Rwanda, the land of beauty and charming crafts!

This is where your shopping impulse is put to the test. With numerous shopping malls, stalls, shops, and supermarkets Rwanda will certainly take thy breath away!

A wide range of handicrafts is sold in Rwanda and there is great scope for browsing, especially in the capital city, Kigali.

The city's biggest craft market is the Caplaki handicrafts co-operative, which comprises at least thirty wooden huts and stalls that collectively sell a huge variety of goods - from hand-carvings, weaved items, batik cloth, pottery, and the like to semi-precious stones, musical instruments and various novelties.

The country is equipped with a fair selection of well-stocked (but often quite pricey) western-style supermarkets and malls. Shops in smaller towns are less varied and more poorly stocked, but most everyday goods likely to be required by students and visitors will be available.

Other Rwanda’s galleries and outlets worth checking out include the Inema Arts Centre, Ivuka Arts, Niyo Cultural Centre, Association des Artistes Rwanda (ASAR), Amahoro ava Hejuru and the Abien Arts Collective.

Throughout the cities, you will also find street vendors selling most kinds of small handicrafts.  High-quality items are on the rise in the country, as local artists are creating some of the region’s most unique items.

From contemporary jewelry to artisan jam, Rwanda offers everything a quirky visitor and shopper could hope for. Here are four things to purchase on your next visit to the land of a thousand hills.

Embroidered pouches

Embroidery is on the rise in the country, and no one does it better than Ibaba Rwanda. This upmarket brand began in 2012 and works to employ and train women in the rural town of Rutongo. Their beautiful pouches are handmade and unique.

Artisanal jam

Fresh bananas, passion fruit, mangoes, pineapples, and all sorts of sweet fruits are grown in Rwanda. A couple of small companies are taking advantage of the fresh and varied produce to create artisanal jams, and they can be found around the capital.

Two Pottery

The Twa, a minority indigenous to Rwanda, are regionally famed for making pottery special to the country. Their methodologies have been employed for decades, and the materials are all-natural. Be sure to check out beautiful blue, grey, and brown ceramic Twa bowls and mugs at Kigali Pottery Collections.

Imigongo

Unique to the country, these stark and durable art pieces are created by mixing cow dung with bright coloring. This traditional art form is made across the region and can be purchased at any art cooperative or market.

"I enjoy shopping and I found it affordable but some of the clothes are definitely not of the highest quality." - Hassan from Turkey

How RocApply Works