Network Rwanda
Qualitative market research agency in Rwanda
MindMarket is a market research agency that runs qualitative studies in Rwanda, from in-depth interviews and focus groups to home visits and shop-alongs, with moderators who live in the country and one project manager for your whole study. Rwanda has a population of 14.7 million and a median age of 19.9, and 34.2 per cent of residents are online (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Only 18.4 per cent live in urban areas, so an online study describes Kigali more than it describes Rwanda. One language, Kinyarwanda, is spoken across the whole country, which lets one team of moderators hear both the capital and the hills.
AT A GLANCE
Rwanda at a glance for researchers
- Population. 14.7 million people, median age 19.9, 18.4 per cent in urban areas (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Kigali, the capital, is the only large city. Musanze in the north, Huye in the south, Rubavu and Rusizi on Lake Kivu and Muhanga in the centre are the secondary cities, and most households farm. Kigali sits in the centre of the country, and no district is more than a day's drive away.
- Languages. Kinyarwanda, in every consumer session. English is the language of schooling and business, French is still used by many adults, and Swahili is heard in trade. Our moderators live in Rwanda, and professional interviews run in English or French when the participant prefers.
- Internet and mobile. 5.01 million people use the internet, 34.2 per cent of the population, and there are 13.0 million mobile connections (DataReportal, Digital 2026). Mobile connections stand at 88.7 per cent of the population, while social media counts 1.35 million user identities, 9.2 per cent (same source). The phone is used for calls, messages and mobile money more than for the web.
- Where fieldwork happens. Kigali first, then Musanze, Huye or Rubavu. Rural sectors are reached by road from the nearest town; distances are short, but the hills make travel slow. Sessions outside Kigali are held in hotel or community meeting rooms.
- Data protection. Law No. 058/2021 of 13 October 2021 on the protection of personal data and privacy applies. Every participant hears what will be recorded and for what purpose, and agrees before the session starts.
- Timing. The week of commemoration that begins on 7 April is not a fieldwork week. On the last Saturday of each month, the morning is given to Umuganda, community work, and shops and roads are closed. 1 and 4 July are national days, and the long rains fall from March to May.
IN THE FIELD
How does an interview run in Rwanda?
In Rwanda, two people in three are not online, and four in five live outside towns. A video interview reaches salaried, connected residents of Kigali. A study in Rwanda that needs farmers, traders or rural households is held in person, where they live. Kigali itself is surveyed by district, since Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge differ in income.
- In person beyond Kigali. Interviews and home visits are held in the secondary cities and in rural sectors. Online sessions are kept for connected profiles, and the report says which part of the market each method heard. A day in the field covers one or two sectors, and the timetable allows for it.
- Kinyarwanda in the room. Consumer sessions run in Kinyarwanda, and your team follows through simultaneous interpretation. Stimulus is read aloud when reading is slow, and pictures carry as much as text. Professionals choose English or French.
- Mobile money in the purchase. Money is sent, received and spent through mobile wallets as well as in cash. Each purchase discussed is traced to how it was paid, and payment flows are tested on the participant's own phone. Agents who handle cash-in and cash-out are interviewed as part of the payment path.
- Local leaders informed. In rural areas, fieldwork is announced to local leaders before the team arrives. Participants are then recruited through people the community knows, and take part by their own choice. Sessions avoid market days, when traders cannot leave their stalls.
RECRUITMENT
How do you recruit participants in Rwanda?
- We recruit through local partners in Kigali and the secondary cities, by district, age, livelihood and category use. Each appointment is checked by phone twenty-four hours ahead, and you sign off the quotas before recruitment begins. In rural sectors, recruitment goes through a person the community knows.
- B2B participants are recruited by direct approach, with their position verified ahead of the interview. Frequent study participants are screened out of consumer groups. Farmers' cooperatives are approached through their leaders, and members decide for themselves.
- MindMarket pays every participant's incentive itself. You never handle it.
METHODS
Which methods work in Rwanda?
Most studies in Rwanda run as in-depth interviews and focus groups, with ethnographic home visits, shop-alongs or customer intercepts when the question needs them.
| Method | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth interviews | Finance, telecoms, health and B2B audiences in Kigali, by video or in person | A video interview chosen for people who are largely offline |
| Focus groups | Advertising, concepts and food and drink ideas in Kigali and one secondary city | Treating a single Kigali group as the whole country |
| Home visits | Cooking, farming households and household spending | Arriving without an introduction from someone the household trusts |
| Shop-alongs | Markets, kiosks and supermarkets | The last Saturday morning of the month, when everything is closed |
| Customer intercepts | Markets, bus parks and mobile money agents | Rainy-season afternoons, when streets empty |
QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask about research in Rwanda
How much does market research cost in Rwanda?
A full-service qualitative study with MindMarket starts at $40,000 for the first market, and Rwanda added to a multi-country study starts from $8,000. Travel to the secondary cities and rural sectors moves the price more than extra sessions in Kigali. Every quote is itemised and follows within 48 hours of a first call. Estimate your study.
How do I choose a market research agency in Rwanda?
Choose by what the study has to decide. A Rwandan survey company fits a household survey with enumerators. A qualitative specialist such as MindMarket fits a brand from outside Rwanda that needs local people heard in their own language, by moderators who live there, with one team across every country. Read how to choose a global qualitative research agency.
Is Kigali enough for research in Rwanda?
Kigali is enough for a first read of urban, salaried buyers. For a national decision in Rwanda, add a secondary city such as Musanze or Huye and some rural households, because four people in five live outside towns and most of them farm. Each has its own local recruiters.
Which language is used for research in Rwanda?
Research with consumers in Rwanda runs in Kinyarwanda, which is spoken across the whole country. Interviews with professionals can run in English or French, by their choice. Your team follows through simultaneous interpretation, and reports are written in English.
When should fieldwork in Rwanda be avoided?
Fieldwork in Rwanda is not held during the week of commemoration that begins on 7 April. The last Saturday morning of each month is reserved for Umuganda, and the long rains from March to May slow travel in the hills. Other weeks are open. Short rains return from October to December.
Can you help us decide, not only run the interviews?
Yes. Beyond the fieldwork, our Customer-Led Strategy work turns what people in Rwanda told us into a recommendation: what to do, what not to do, and why. We form the hypotheses, test them with your customers and recommend from their words. If you already work with strategy consultants, we work alongside them.
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