The Government of Rwanda recently signed a partnership agreement with E7 Group, a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which includes plans to build a printing services facility in Rwanda.
E7 Group specializes in providing professional printing services. It is owned by the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), the UAE’s sovereign investment fund.
The company also recently signed another agreement with the Government of Rwanda to produce tax stamps for goods — a system that helps monitor and track the collection of taxes and detect counterfeit or smuggled products. These stamps will allow authorities to confirm that taxes have been correctly collected and that products are being distributed legally.
E7 Group says this project reflects its commitment to continued collaboration with Rwanda on various initiatives, and construction of the facility is already underway.
The new plant will produce secure documents, including national identity cards and passports, driver’s licenses, tax stamps, bank cards, and modern packaging materials.
All these will be produced using advanced technology and high security standards to serve both the Rwandan and African markets, boost industrial production, promote innovation, and create jobs.
E7 Group CEO Esteban Gómez Nadal said of the partnership:
“This agreement reflects our shared commitment with Rwanda to promote innovation, create jobs, and foster sustainable development in Africa.”
Meanwhile, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, Dharmesh Goshalia, added:
“Through this project, we are not just investing in building a factory; we are investing in people and partnering with Africa on its journey toward building a sustainable future.”
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, E7 Group was founded in 2006. It was formerly known as United Printing & Publishing (UPP) before being renamed E7 Group in 2023 following its merger with ADC Acquisition Corporation, a company established to identify investment opportunities.
E7 Group has been listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange since 2022. Its operations include printing identity documents, bank cards, passports, packaging materials, newspapers, books, educational materials, and travel cards, as well as logistics services.
The company is a major industrial player in the UAE and continues to expand globally. It operates across four business divisions, offering about 40 products in 25 countries across eight regions, including Central Asia, East, West and Southern Africa, Western Europe, North and South America, and the Caribbean.
E7 Group owns a fleet of over 450 delivery vehicles across the UAE and holds more than 10 certifications to manufacture cards for major brands like Visa, Mastercard, Intergraph, CQM, and GSMA. It produces over 19,000 tons of packaging materials annually.
Because of its focus on printing, it also partners with over 1,200 schools, supplying them with more than 20 million notebooks each year.
Between 2020 and 2023, E7 Group’s annual revenue grew by 27%, reaching 631.9 million UAE Dirhams (over $172.2 million). During the same period, earnings before tax and expenses rose by 43%, hitting 171.1 million AED ($46.6 million), while net profit jumped by 79% to 140.3 million AED ($38.2 million).
In 2024, the company earned $189 million in revenue, owned assets worth $651 million, and employed over 1,300 people.
The company began printing specialized cards in 2014, and in 2016 it launched Tawzea, a logistics subsidiary for product distribution. In 2017, it gained exclusive authorization to print national IDs and other secure identity documents for government clients using high-end technology.
By 2023, E7 Group had attracted 1.1 billion AED ($300 million) in total investment, including 734 million AED ($199 million) from private investors.
The company says that as countries, especially in Africa and Asia, continue to develop digital identity systems, its market opportunities are expanding. Rwanda itself is currently implementing a major digital ID system project valued at over 100 billion Rwandan francs.
E7 Group has allocated 1.3 billion AED ($353 million) for its global expansion.
The company’s financial performance has steadily improved: in 2021, 34% of its expenses went to materials; in 2022, 36%; and in 2023, 35%. Salaries accounted for 21% in 2021, 22% in 2022, while administrative operations used 5% in 2021, 3% in 2022, and 37% in 2023.
As of now, the company holds 1.29 billion AED ($351 million) in bank liquidity available for operational use.
The economic ties between Rwanda and the UAE have also deepened significantly. In 2023, trade between the two nations reached $1.1 billion.
According to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) 2024 report, the UAE remains Rwanda’s top export destination, with Rwandan exports to the UAE totaling $1.4 billion in 2024 — up from $951.2 million in 2023 — representing 63.9% growth.
