Gahaya Links

What Gahaya Links does

Gahaya Links is a privately held Rwandan handicraft export company headquartered in Kicukiro (Kigali), founded in 1995 by Joy Ndungutse, who continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer. The firm operates a large artisan and operations workforce of 5,001–10,000, consistent with a cooperative-style model aggregating craft producers across Rwanda and exporting finished goods to international wholesale, retail, and fair-trade channels. Its commercial proposition rests on the cultural provenance and authenticity of Rwandan handicrafts — a category in which origin and artisan heritage carry meaningful buyer willingness-to-pay.

The business model is that of an export-oriented manufacturer/exporter: Gahaya Links sources from an in-country artisan base, finishes and aggregates products, and ships to international buyers. Pricing mechanics, channel mix (wholesale vs. retail vs. fair-trade), and customer composition are not disclosed in the available source material. The company maintains an export-focused identity (evidenced by its name "Links" and corporate website gahayalinks.com) but no products-and-services detail, customer references, or partnership roster is available.

On technology and operational footprint, the public source data is thin: the company's website was inaccessible at the time of data aggregation (displaying a security verification page), and no proprietary technology stack, certifications, patents, or digital platforms are disclosed. Headcount is the most informative scale signal, and it suggests either a very large paid workforce or, more plausibly, a broad artisan/cooperative network that the firm organizes, trains, and routes orders through. Ownership, funding history, and investor composition are also not disclosed in the inputs.

Name

Gahaya Links

Website

https://gahayalinks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Gahaya Links is a Rwandan handicraft export company founded in 1995, headquartered in Kicukiro (Kigali), that aggregates artisan-made crafts from across Rwanda and ships them to international wholesale and retail buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Handicraft Exports

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (42435)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAMAIAM

Forest Products Import/Export & Commodity Merchants

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Forest Products Distribution & Trading

SECONDARYCRAFAAAE

Cross-border Import/Export Generalist Marketplaces

Consumer Products & Retail/E-commerce & Marketplaces/Generalist Online Marketplaces

SECONDARYCRAFAHAI

Apparel & Textile Wholesale Marketplaces

Consumer Products & Retail/E-commerce & Marketplaces/Wholesale/B2B E-commerce Marketplaces

Keywords

• Handicraft exports
• Artisan crafts
• Textile exports
• African handicrafts
• Handmade baskets

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Gahaya Links is a handicraft export company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Kicukiro, Rwanda. The company manufactures and exports handmade artisan goods, operating a workforce of 5,001–10,000 employees dedicated to traditional craft production. Its activities center on the production and international export of handicrafts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• SERRV International: Nonprofit fair-trade organization that imports and sells handcrafted items from artisans in dozens of countries, providing an overlapping distribution channel for the same producer ecosystem.
• Ten Thousand Villages: Long-established North American fair-trade retailer sourcing handmade products from artisans across the developing world, including Africa. Comparable buyer base though operated as a retail storefront chain rather than an exporter.
• Etsy: Global online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods that has become the dominant digital channel for handicraft buyers; competes for the same end-consumer and influences pricing across the artisan segment.

Emerging players

• Swahili African Modern: Africa-focused online retailer curating and selling contemporary and traditional African crafts and home goods to U.S. and European buyers, overlapping in product category though without own-artisan production.
• The Little Market: Fair-trade nonprofit e-commerce platform selling handmade products sourced from global artisan co-ops; comparable mission and buyer demographic though U.S.-headquartered rather than producer-side.
• Mata Traders: Fair-trade apparel and accessories brand sourcing handmade goods from women artisan cooperatives in Africa and South Asia, offering a similar mission-led product positioning.

Direct peers

• All Across Africa: Nonprofit handicraft cooperative rooted in Rwanda working with thousands of artisans to export woven goods globally. Highly comparable business model and target customer base.
• Novica: Online marketplace connecting artisans worldwide with global consumers; carries many African handicraft categories and serves overlapping end-buyers of fair-trade goods.
• Indego Africa: Rwanda-based fair-trade company that partners with women artisans to produce and export handmade goods. Most directly comparable to Gahaya Links in mission, geography, and product mix.
• Moringa: Rwanda-based cooperative exporting sustainable handicrafts and natural products from local artisan communities. Comparable origin geography and export-led distribution model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gahayalinks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gahaya-links

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gahaya Links