GAIN has worked in Rwanda since 2015, supporting market-based and systems-led approaches that strengthen nutritious food value chains, food systems coordination and access to safe, affordable and desirable diets.
GAIN’s engagement in Rwanda spans from 2015
Marketplace for Nutritious Foods, Accelerating Rwanda’s Nutrition Outcomes and Combating Malnutrition in Rwanda through Sustainable Food Systems.
The Marketplace intervention was implemented across all 30 districts of Rwanda.
More than 10 nutritious foods have been prioritised to support healthier diets and market development.
Country strategy
GAIN Rwanda works with government, businesses and development partners to advance food systems transformation, making safe and nutritious diets more available, affordable and desirable. Our work strengthens national policy and multisectoral coordination, supports evidence-based decision-making, and connects food production, markets and consumer demand to improve nutrition outcomes, particularly for women, children and vulnerable communities.
A Rwanda where everyone, especially women, children and vulnerable communities, can access, afford and choose safe, nutritious diets from inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems.
We support national policy priorities and multisectoral coordination so nutrition is better integrated into food systems transformation.
We help strengthen the use of diagnostics, financing and monitoring tools to guide food systems and nutrition action.
We work across nutritious food value chains to improve availability, affordability, accessibility and desirability of healthier diets.
Programmes and partnerships
Today, GAIN works with the Government of Rwanda and partners across interconnected areas of food systems and nutrition, from nutritious food value chains and fortification to policy, evidence, investment and monitoring.
Flagship programme
This programme operates in Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rutsiro and Nyabihu districts, integrating community nutrition with nutritious food value chains, market development, demand generation and food fortification.
01 Policy and strategy
GAIN supports nutrition priorities under Rwanda’s national development and agriculture strategies, including stronger food systems coordination. This includes supporting the integration of nutrition into Rwanda’s Second National Strategy for Transformation and Fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation.
02 Evidence and accountability
GAIN supports the Government of Rwanda to develop food systems diagnostics, financing and monitoring tools to strengthen planning, guide action and support accountability.
03 Fortification
GAIN is supporting the development of Rwanda’s proposed Food Fortification Policy, covering industrial fortification and biofortification.
04 Investment
GAIN provides technical support to the Rwanda Dairy Development Project, Phase II, to strengthen nutrition monitoring, learning and accountability.
05 Food systems
GAIN’s work connects community nutrition, nutritious food value chains, market development, demand generation, policy and evidence to strengthen Rwanda’s food systems and improve nutrition outcomes.
06 Partnerships
GAIN works with government institutions, development partners including Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) , United Nations agencies, private-sector businesses, farmer organisations, research institutions and community structures to strengthen Rwanda’s food systems and improve nutrition outcomes.
Explore how GAIN’s programme focus in Rwanda has evolved over time.
2015–2020
GAIN expanded the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods programme into Rwanda in 2015 following an assessment of the country’s nutrition situation, food value chains, consumer demand and business environment.
This phase focused on supporting small and medium-sized food enterprises to increase the availability of nutritious foods.
2023–2024
Following GAIN’s renewed engagement in Rwanda, the programme supported efforts to assess and strengthen the institutional environment for food systems and nutrition.
The focus expanded from individual food businesses towards stronger policy coordination and the integration of nutrition across national food systems priorities.
2025–2030
GAIN’s current flagship programme builds on earlier work to support Rwanda’s efforts to improve nutrition through stronger and more sustainable food systems.
This phase brings together community nutrition, markets, policy and food systems action to support sustainable improvements in nutrition.
Country Director Note
GAIN Rwanda works alongside government, businesses, communities and development partners to connect national policy with practical action for healthier diets.
We are proud to work alongside the Government of Rwanda, businesses, communities and development partners to advance food systems transformation and improve nutrition for all.
Our work connects national policy with practical action — from strengthening coordination and evidence-based decision-making to expanding nutritious food value chains and community-level delivery.
We place women, children and vulnerable households at the centre while creating opportunities for farmers, young people and food businesses. Rwanda has a strong vision for inclusive, resilient and sustainable food systems, and GAIN is committed to helping translate that vision into measurable improvements in diets and nutrition.
Contact Us
Kigali, Rwanda 5th floor, M&M Plaza Building, Wing B
KG 8Av, Nyarutarama Cell, Remera Sector, Gasabo District,
Kigali City, Rwanda
Office telephone +250794411263
- 11/09/2025
While Rwanda has made notable progress in recent decades on areas linked to improved prosperity such as growth in agricultural production and poverty reduction,rates of malnutrition remain a public health concern, particularly among vulnerable groups like young children.
- 15/08/2025
Rwanda faces persistent challenges with malnutrition, and there is increasing interest in the country in taking a food systems approach to tackling it. However, getting this new approach into the development and agricultural sector’s agendas requires understanding the landscape of actors involved. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition commissioned an analytical mapping of actors involved in nutrition and the food system in Rwanda, which was implemented by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. This was accomplished by conducting a stakeholder mapping at district and national levels through key informant interviews and Net-Map analysis as well as a policy landscape analysis.
- 16/05/2025
WHA Global Nutrition Stunting Target 2012-2025 Achieve a 40% reduction in the number of children under-5 who are stunted WHA Global Nutrition Overweight Target 2012-2025 Ensure that there is no increase in childhood overweight
- 07/11/2024
A diverse diet is important for health and well-being, contributing to lower malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiency diseases (hidden hunger), as well as underweight, overweight, and associated ill health like low immune system function and non-communicable diseases. It is highlighted under Rwanda’s draft Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA-5) (2024 to 2030).
- Kigali, Rwanda, Global
Africa’s Food Systems Forum- AGRF, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African food systems forward.
- Kigali, Rwanda
The Women Deliver 2023 Conference (WD2023) will take place in-person in Kigali, Rwanda, as well as virtually, from 17-20 July 2023. As one of the largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality, WD2023 will convene 6,000 people in Kigali and 200,000+ people online
- 04/11/2021
GAIN has long supported SMEs to increase their production of safe and nutritious foods but has found it difficult to understand the impact of such activities on consumers. As food is a fast-moving consumer good, which travels in large volumes between diverse actors of a value chain, spanning wide areas, it can be hard to identify its end consumers, and collecting data from them can be resource intensive.
- 06/06/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is a multiplier of vulnerability, compounding threats to food security and nutrition (FSN) while exposing weaknesses in food systems. In response, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) developed the Keeping Food Markets Working (KFMW) programme to provide targeted support to help sustain core food systems.
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