Secure Cross-Border Social, Economic, and Commercial Activities in the Great Lakes Region

RESEARCH ON CROSS BORDER TRADE AT RUSIZI II (RWANDA) / BUKAVU (DRC) ENTRY POINT
Cross-border trade (CBT) has been the foundational basis of the “survival economies” of landlocked communities in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for decades. Each day, an estimated 4,600 citizens from both countries cross the Rusizi II/Bukavu border to facilitate the transfer of goods and services. These economic exchanges are essential in reducing poverty and supporting livelihoods and serve as a means for cross-cultural interactions between the two communities. In addition, CBT plays a significant role in the national economies of the two countries, with exports estimated at $108.3 million in Rwanda in 2015, a volume that transits through different border crossings. More than a third of this trade takes place at the Bukavu/Rusizi border crossing, where the number of daily border crosses ranges from thousands to tens of thousands of traders.
Despite the significant role that CBT plays in both personal and national economies in the region, many challenges continue to prevent communities from experiencing the full benefit of such cross-border exchanges. Search for Common Ground (Search), with the support of the European Union, conducted a research as part of the “Secure Cross Border Social Economic and Commercial Activities in the Great Lakes Region” project, which aims to increase the cross border trade and reduce social tensions between cross border communities in Rwanda and DRC. Specifically, the study aimed to (i) comprehensively analyse the CBT that goes through the Rusizi II and Bukavu border checkpoints, including the social dynamics of this trade; (ii) recommend actions that can prevent, mitigate, and resolve problems related to this trade; and (iii) identify ways through which the project could positively impact cross border trade at the official crossing point of Bukavu/ Rusizi II as well as social and trade relationships between border communities.
The study used both quantitative and qualitative data and sought to include all relevant actors and stakeholders, including small-scale cross-border traders but also border officials, government authorities and private sector representatives. As such, a large-scale survey with small-scale cross-border traders in Rwanda and the DRC was complemented with more individual-focused methods, including Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Appreciative Inquiry Interviews (AIs), conducted in both Rusizi II and Bukavu. In total, the study engaged 526 survey respondents, 293 FGD participants, and 24 key informants.
The main findings from the study address several themes consistent with the outlined scope of work. This includes: products traded, protection and gender issues, trading barriers, level of participation and knowledge of cross border traders, informal CBT routes and practices, CBT enabling services, and conflict dynamics surrounding the CBT landscape.
Click on the pdf document to read more about the findings and program.