Kagame received their oaths on Friday 5th November 2021 at the parliamentary building.
It is the fourth time receiving oaths from newly appointed officials since the beginning of 2021.
The new Auditor General, Alex Kamuhire,44, was appointed on 13th October 2021.
His has wide experience in the financial sector and particularly in auditing state finances. He has been involved in financial audits for the past 18 years.
Prior to his appointment, Kamuhire was the Government Chief Internal Auditor in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the last six years.
In his role, he also provided internal audit services to the Central Bank, local government entities and public enterprises as well.
Before his appointment as the Office of the Chief Internal Auditor, Kamuhire worked as a Financial Management Specialist in the office of the Auditor-General.
He also worked as an Internal Auditor in the Ministry of Agriculture and he is among the first auditors in the office of the Auditor General since its establishment in 2003.7
Kamuhire took over from Obadiah Biraro who had served in the position for ten years.
DCGP Muhisoni who was also sworn-in on Friday was appointed the Deputy Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) in October 2021 replacing Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza who recently moved to Rwanda National Police (RNP) as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Administration and Finance in April 2021.
DCGP Muhisoni previously served as the Deputy Commissioner for Community Policing.
Meanwhile, Assumpta Ingabire previously served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion since 2019.
Prior to the appointment, she had served as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government for 2 years; after one year and half in the same Ministry serving as the Director General in charge of Inspection.
Ingabire has a strong background in project management from 7 years of experience coordinating various projects with Imbuto Foundation.
As he delivered remarks, Kagame wished success to sworn-in officials reminding that the country is undergoing difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic. He however revealed that the country has made possible efforts to contain the pandemic and thanked leaders and other Rwandans for their role to minimize its effects.
The President also said that the Rwanda was lucky to access COVID-19 vaccine where mass vaccination efforts are ongoing noting that Rwanda will start local vaccine manufacturing in the near future to save Rwandans and other Africans as well.
“In our country, we played our role in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Had we not put up a proper fight, it would have taken more lives. Usually, it would have been better not to lose even one life but when the lives lost amount to thousands, it means that the pandemic’s intensity is increasing. I want to thank all of you our leaders, Rwandans for how we conducted ourselves during this pandemic time,” he said.
“It is evident that the pandemic has cooled down; its intensity has decreased significantly. In the near future, we will start manufacturing vaccines in Rwanda. Vaccines manufactured here will first help save the lives of Rwandans, and after, help other Africans and even beyond if we get enough. That’s our wish,” added Kagame.
Nikos Dendias who is in Rwanda for an official visit to deepen Rwanda-Greece relations and cooperation in areas of common interest was hosted at Village Urugwiro after holding talks with his counterpart of Rwanda, Dr. Vincent Biruta.
During their discussions, Nikos and Dr. Biruta signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in Political Consultations and diplomatic training.
His visit coincided with the donation of 332,800 AstraZeneca doses of COVID-19 shipped to Rwanda on Friday 5th November 2021.
Dendias has revealed via Twitter handle that his talks with Kagame focused on different areas including Greece’s contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
Rwanda, Greece enjoy existing relations in different areas. In July 2021, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Jean Bosco Kazura visited Athens, the capital of Greece to strengthen cooperation.
He was welcomed by Gen Konstantinos Floros, Chief of Defence Staff of the Greek Defence Force.
In 2018, both countries signed air service agreement.
During his stay in Rwanda, Dendias visited Kigali Genocide Memorial where he paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi laid there. He also met with officials from different public institutions including Rwanda Governance Board.
The statement released by the Ministry of Defence shows that the promotion and appointment take immediate effect.
He has been serving as the Head of Operations in RDF’s Second Division operating in Northern Province.
He also served as the Principal Private Secretary to the President of the Republic from November 2013 to July 2021.
Brig Gen Karuretwa graduated from the School of Law at the National University of Rwanda in 2000 before pursuing Master’s in International Law at The Fletcher School, Tufts University in the United States of America.
DCGP Muhisoni previously served as the Deputy Commissioner for Community Policing.
She was appointed the Deputy Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) recently in October replacing Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza who recently moved to Rwanda National Police (RNP) as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Administration and Finance in April 2021.
ENI is an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome. Considered one of the seven ‘supermajor’ oil companies in the world, it has operations in 66 countries with a market capitalization of US$36.08 billion, as of 31 December 2020.
The Government of Rwanda has put environment and climate change at the center of the country’s policies and plans. Under the country’s Vision 2050, Rwanda has a bold vision to become a carbon-neutral and climate resilient economy by the middle of the century.
In May 2020, Rwanda was the first African country to submit its revised climate action plan (NDC). In the plan, Rwanda has an ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 38% by 2030 compared to business as usual, equivalent to an estimated mitigation of up to 4.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) through engagement with partners, both nationally and internationally, to attract sustainable green investment..
The country’s efforts to limit its contribution to climate change and adapt to the consequences of a warming planet over the next decade is estimated at US $11 billion, made up of 5.7 billion dollars for mitigation and 5.3 billion dollars for adaptation.
To ensure the country remains well coordinated in financing these goals, the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) was created. Since its inception, the Fund has raised US $217 million for green investments across the country.
Rwanda was one of the few first countries to ban plastic bags in 2008 and single use plastics in 2019. Rwanda’s efforts to manage existing forests and reforest areas of the country have led to 30.4% of the country being covered with forests. These areas play an important role in mitigating Rwanda’s contribution to climate change.
A National Cooling Strategy has been put in place which will phase out or reduce the use of powerful greenhouse gases used in cooling systems (known as HFCs) as part of efforts to achieve the goals of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
Rwanda is also investing heavily in e-mobility, sustainable urbanisation, climate smart agriculture and renewable energy.
ENI’s decarbonization strategy also envisages a progressive reduction in hydrocarbon production in the medium term, and an increasingly important role for gas, with the aim being to reach a 60% share of the production mix by 2030 and more than 90% by 2050.
This year, African economy is expected to be back on its feet, as real GDP growth is projected to grow decently by 3.4% and 3.5% next year. The full growth, however, is expected to be fulfilled when African countries start reaping big from the mostly-ratified African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA).
The agreement, now stark in its infancy, is expected to boast African internal trade from a scandalous 16%, to a moderate 52.3%. Once such target is achieved, most Africans will be consuming products from African industries in different countries, and unprecedented growth of African economy will be inevitable.
With this in mind however, Africa is still loaded with tons of problems to solve, in order to achieve African Dream. Among others, the continent’s ambitious plan to increase intra-trade will be hindered by vast gap in terms of financial inclusion.
Last year, 562 million of Africans were using mobile money services, an increase of 12% compared to the previous year. However, the increase in mobile money users is not necessarily provoking increase in financial service diversification, which is a critical phase to achieve mass financial inclusion.
For instance, it is easier to for a Rwandan to send money abroad, to a subscriber of the same telecom company, while it is impossible to do so for a subscriber of a different telecom who is based in Rwanda.
The same case applies to push and pull services between banks, telecom companies and other financially-engaged agencies.
With no such flexibility, it is difficult to motivate Africans to use mobile money services, and so the continent will have to endure preventable losses. That’s one of the main reasons why Global Voice Group (GVP) was initiated in 1998.
The Pan-African company collects and analyzes big data from crucial economic sectors like telecommunication and financial services, with the intention of enabling governments and other companies to implement data-driven decisions, hence promoting valuable solutions.
Analyzing data is such a crucial step towards solutions like interoperability, which allows various players in financial sector to create ways that facilitate the flow of money among their clients. For instance, different telecom companies can create a way in which subscribers of both sides can transfer money either way. This can be done to governments agencies, banks and other stakeholders.
IGIHE has caught up with James Claude, the CEO of GVG to shed light on what needs to be done to achieve total financial inclusion in Africa, and how their company is becoming increasingly important throughout this long journey.
{{What is the state of financial inclusion in Africa? }}
When we talk financial inclusion, we try to measure it by the banked verses the unbanked percentage of the population, but I believe this concept is outdated, because if you see in Africa, mobile money was born in Kenya. I just read that M-Shwari, a system that allows people to save using mobile money, hits half trillion shillings.
So, I know there are still a lot to be done and Africa is still behind in many aspects when it comes to financial inclusion but I believe there is a revolution which is happening in fintech, in mobile money and other alternative ways that create new ecosystem when it comes to payment.
However, there is regulations that need to be done to really facilitate the development of that sector and I believe Africa is on the right track. So, for me it is very difficult to use statistics about banked and unbanked to really quantify financial inclusion in Africa.
{{What are regulations that need to be introduced?}}
What needs to happen is what is already happening [at a small scale], which is allowing people to use alternative technologies such as mobile money, to start benefiting in financial services like getting loans, making payments and transact online because ultimately, the definition of financial inclusion is being able to access those types of financial services. For instance, if it is loan, I am being able to get it using those channels, which can be mobile money and so on.
Of course, regulations need to be looked at to facilitate in the development of this new payment systems and also I believe those systems are quite fragmented, so interoperability can really play role to integrate those kind fragmented fintech solutions that can really take full advantage of the development of those payment systems.
{{What role can central banks play to facilitate interoperability?}}
Central banks [can step in] as they did with traditional banks to put in place interoperability platforms such as the one we have developed internally [as Global Voice Group] that allows to bring together all the fragmented payment system.
{{You mentioned mobile money, how important is it to the idea of financial inclusion in Africa?}}
Mobile money started with basic services [like saving], and it kept evolving, new services are being added and there are many projects in different countries where governments and private sectors are really working to provide interoperability [between different telecommunication companies, telecommunication companies and banks, and so on].
In our case for example, we just launched recently a platform called Transfin, a platform that assist, from the government perspective, to provide interoperability at the country level. It also takes into account many needs and requirements governments might need when it comes to interoperability. [It can help] to be able as government to make payments regardless of the channels, banks or mobile money, to the public service employees. [It can help] to be able to pay social programs, those are areas we believe it can bring a lot of value to all the stakeholders.
{{As an investor and advocate of interoperability solutions in Africa, why is Africa still behind? Is it because of political will or the force of the market? }}
I wouldn’t say we don’t have interoperability in Africa, there has been fast development in mobile money and fintech in the last few years, and more sophisticated transactions have been happening on the top of mobile money and now these national revolutions require more integration so that different payments solutions can speak with each other. Now there is a movement towards that goal, [what is being assesses is] how can we tackle challenges to benefit the population who are participating in those solutions.
{{Do you think interoperability can hamper innovations from SMEs? }}
I believe this system can help small companies. If you have a bigger company providing certain services, then the small player coming in, if they don’t have access to the population, I think it can slow down his development. There are also rules which can guide the whole system [which can protect SMEs if needed]. So I think it can be beneficial to small companies.
Africa lose billions of money because of money laundering, corruptions and all these kind of problems.
{{Can integrated financial inclusion help to solve those problems?}}
Financial inclusion can solve many problems but not all. Of course, having big part of the economy migrating to digital economy where all things happen online, the authorities like central banks and other financial intelligence agencies have more capabilities to oversee compliance and monitor more effectively problems like money laundering. By the way, that is one of the solutions we have. As GVG, we have provided platform to central banks and telecommunication laundering in countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana and Congo Brazaville, they are using platforms we provide.
{{When it comes to fraud, there are other regulations that need to be in place and of course having the right to monitor the compliance would be very helpful. As GVG, what are some of your projects in Africa?}}
We consider ourselves to be pioneer of regulatory technology in Africa. We have been working in many countries as we have been on the continent for the past 20 years. And we started by providing solutions to the newly created telecom regulators, like when the market became liberalized with having the new regulators coming in.
The telecom regulators needed tools to really monitor compliance on what is happening on market prices, quality of services and so on, this is how we started.
Over the years, we kept developing new solutions for the telecom regulators so that they can keep up with the development of the telecom sector in general.
As you know, telecom sector is the backbone of the digital economy, on which many other solutions have been deployed, such as mobile money. So, we have anything that telecom regulators might need like [how telecom regulators can monitor] quality of service, revenue, traffic, we have different solutions in that aspect.
We have also developed solutions such as mobile money monitoring, and we are also working to develop solutions related to identities, because identification is the cornerstone of financial inclusion. We are talking about digital identity, but in many countries, simple identification is not in place. So we are working to make sure that simple identity can be translated into digital identity.
One of the last solutions we just launched is interoperability solutions because we saw that governments are promoting the use of new innovative solutions such as mobile money, mobile payment but they don’t necessarily use it.
Therefore, we said why don’t we come and bring together fragmented ecosystem, at the same time, provide different applications to governments such as payroll management, where the government can pay directly on mobile money. That would streamline the whole process of payroll like social program and pension.
To this end, we built a comprehensive platform based on what we understood to be part of the problem of digitalizing the whole payment system, where governments, as one of the significant player, is lagging behind when it comes to the use of these solutions.
{{Where did you apply your solutions?}}
Our solutions have been applied in 15 African countries and we are finalizing the implementation in countries like Zimbabwe, we work in Central Africa, West Africa, in countries like Ghana, Senegal. One of our key component is Big Data, collecting data and dig them to monitor compliance. It’s kind of data-driven solutions. As governments are planning new policies, having the ICT like what we provide, [authorities] are able to collect all the necessary information in real time in order to see how efficient that new policy is.
The market is ready, there are a lot of demands because governments are seeing technology as an ally they can rely on to achieve their goals. Big Data is being used. Many companies are using a lot of data. They are also different programs in different universities, including the University of Rwanda, that are teaching about the use of Big Data. It is more of having a lot of data, it’s also how you can use them and make them actionable intelligence.
{{African tech companies tend to be ignored by governments in developing such high tech solutions using big data. Have you ever faced that problem? }}
We are very proud of our identity and we bring knowledge from all over the World, so we have development center in Spain, we used to have part of our business in Estonia, because we believe Estonia has a very good governance. So, we bring knowledge from all over the World but we have a Pan-African identity because this is where we started and it is where we develop solutions. In fact, we are more welcomed here in Africa. Most of the officials tell us ‘you are from Africa so you can really understand the problem we are facing’, I think it is an advantage for us.
{{How can Africa become independent in the digital sector?}}
Africa needs to invest in education, infrastructure and technologies. They have been a lot of investment in that sense. Leaders need to discuss how to define the vision of Africa [in order to play a big role in global technologies]. We are in the right direction to embark and be successful.
If you look at the past, tech startups used to be from USA and Europe, but the situation has changed. There are many startups in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa which are on a global scale, because it’s about understanding technology and creating solutions for the population.
The guy who is sitting in Houston is not smarter than our guy who went to college and is sitting in Kigali.
{{Which advice can you give to Africans who are trying to create solutions in tech industry?}}
The young guy who has an idea, should start by working on it to reach a level where he can start pitching at different levels. Today, you can be in Kigali and pitch your idea in Los Angeles. So if it is the right solution [you can have the resources to implement it].
But I also believe that private companies should play a role by investing in those young startups. For instance, we set up a fund a few years ago, to try to understand startups that have synergies with the kind of business we are in, and we invest in them and help them accelerate their growth. These are examples of how private companies such as ours, can help other startups to grow.
They include seven Police officers, who were conniving with five driving school instructors to defraud candidates, who registered to do driving tests.
The group was showed to the media on Wednesday, November 3, at Kigali Metropolitan headquarters in Remera, Gasabo District.
Sergeant Augustin Twagirashema , who has been serving in RNP for the last 13 years is among those arrested.
He, together with other Police officers at different ranks, alongside the driving school instructors, were operating a syndicate targeting people, who registered for driving tests, making them believe that tests are hard to pass and that they can facilitate them if they paid a certain amount of money.
Some of the Police officers like Sgt Twagirimana, were arrested on sites where they had been deployed to supervise driving tests.
Jean de Deu Nshimiyimana is among the five arrested driving school instructors. He said: “I was arrested on Monday, November 1, for allegedly collaborating with a Police officers to solicit bribes from candidates doing driving tests to help them acquire a driver’s license.”
Information on the ring, Police said, was shared by one of the people, whom they had approached.
“I had successfully registered to do driving tests, but they told me that it was not easy to get a permit without paying some money. They first demanded Rwf300,000 but we later agreed Rwf100,000, which I paid them,” said one of the candidates (names withheld).
“Later, I realized that what I had done was wrong and contrary to the law. I decided to report to the Police.”
RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera said that the Police acted on the information provided by concerned residents to identify and arrest the suspects.
“These seven Police officers were taking money from candidates and were using the five school instructors as their brokers,” said CP Kabera. “Investigations revealed that these Police officers were also adding names of people, who either failed or did not do the driving tests, on the list of those who passed. Some of those marked as passed did not even go to the driving test sites.”
CP Kabera urged the public to be vigilant and avoid criminal shortcuts to pay extra amount of money.
He further warned against both soliciting and offering bribes are punishable by law.
All the suspects were handed over to RIB for further legal process
Article 4 of the law N° 54/2018 of 13/08/2018 on fighting against corruption states that any person who offers, solicits, accepts or receives, by any means, an illegal benefit for himself/ herself or another person or accepts a promise in order to render or omit a service under his or her mandate or uses his or her position to render or omit a service, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of more than five (5) years but not more than even (7) years with a fine of three (3) to five (5) times the value of the illegal benefit offered, solicited or received.
In article 174 of the law determining offenses and penalties in general states that; any person who, by deception, obtains another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or who offers positive promises or who threatens of future misfortunes, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two (2) years and not more than three (3) years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million and not more than Rwf5 million.
The houses constructed by Gisagara peat power plant, were handed over on Tuesday 2nd November 2021, to beneficiaries including residents who had no shelter and others living in old structures.
Delphine Ukubereyimfura, one of beneficiaries explained that she has been facing hard life with her children as they had had no permanent shelter since her husband cohabited with another wife.
“I have spent long time accommodated by good Samaritans because our thatched cottage house was demolished. My husband casted me aside to cohabit with another wife. Since then, I have been leading hard life because I paid rental fees after sweating on daily casual work. I pledge to take good care of received house and work hard to improve my wellbeing. I also commend the good leadership for liaising with partners to build houses for us,” she said.
François Mbanzabagabo also revealed that he has been living in a dilapidated building that it would rain on him inside.
“I am grateful for receiving a new decent house. I am now safe from life hazards along with my children,” he said.
Apart from houses donated to vulnerable residents, the plant also build latrines for Kabumbwe Primary School located in the area and donated a television to Kabumbwe cell to help residents stay updated on trending issues.
The operations manager at Gisagara Peat Power Plant, Tonci Tadic has revealed that the donation is part of the company’s pledge to contribute to improved wellbeing of surrounding community.
“Our activities in this area are meant to promote residents’ welfare. We remain committed to sharing part of revenues for residents’ improved wellbeing,” he said.
As Tadic explained, the plant has so far built houses for 34 vulnerable families in Gisagara district and pledged to subscribe 1000 households for community based health insurance (Mutuelle de Santé) every year.
The plant has also donated school kits to learners at Kabumbwe Primary School and plans to connect the facility to clean water.
Residents in the area have also been receiving cows and small livestock from the plant.
The Acting Mayor of Gisagara district, Athanase Ntaganzwa has said that residents have benefited a lot since construction of the plant began in Mamba.
“Residents from different cells surrounding the plant have received different support including cows that have reproduced among others. Beneficiaries got milk, and compost which helped them to increase agricultural yields,” he noted.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is on the right course of rallying multilateral efforts behind energy transitioning as a pathway to a sustainable future.
With 166 member states, IRENA stands out as a uniquely global energy hub and a source of guidance and support for stakeholders across the world. Through its 2021 World Energy Transitions Outlook, the Agency presents to member states policy frameworks necessary to advance a transition that is aligned with a global net zero future, while being just and inclusive.
With over 300 partners collaborating under IRENA’s climate investment platform, stakeholders with viable projects in renewable energy and climate investment around the world can bank on the Agency for resource mobilization. By 2020, the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility resulted in the selection of 32 renewable energy projects that benefited from $350 million in concessional loans and improved lives of over 2.5 million people around the world.
In Africa, IRENA has supported different national and regional programs and initiatives including Africa Clean Energy Corridor, a regional initiative to accelerate the development of renewable energy potential and cross-border trade of renewable power within the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). This is in addition to West Africa Clean Energy Corridor, a regional initiative supporting the creation of a regional power market in the West Africa Power Pool.
For IRENA, the expansion of renewables goes beyond the provision of reliable energy and climate protection.
“Energy is the key to development in Africa and the foundation for industrialization. Like in Europe and other parts of the world, the expansion of renewables goes beyond the provision of reliable energy and climate protection. Economic development as a whole will benefit and new jobs and opportunities for entire industries will emerge,” wrote IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera in a recent IRENA-German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development joint report on renewables in Africa.
Energy transitioning has emerged as an important pillar of addressing climate change, one of the critical global challenges of our time. Carbon dioxide levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere worsen the global warming, affecting lives and disrupting economies.
In the face of such challenges, mobilizing collective climate action is very vital in pursuit of environment-saving initiatives and global climate targets of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C and a net carbon zero future by mid-century under Paris Agreement and the Climate Ambition Alliance.
Within this global framework of saving the environment, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol signed on 15th of October, 2016 in Kigali – Rwanda is another landmark global commitment to reduce the production and usage of powerful greenhouse gases in a move that could prevent up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of this century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer.
For Rwanda, whose first Permanent Representative Ambassador Emmanuel Hategeka presented his credentials to IRENA on 3rd May 2021, increasing the share of renewable energy is enshrined in a clear national vision of becoming a green, climate resilient and low carbon economy by 2050.
Advancing environmentally friendly practices is an integral part of Rwanda’s development. This is further emphasized in a statement from H.E President Paul Kagame speech at a Climate Change Panel at World Economic Forum – Davos in January 2015: “As we look forward to development, we are not making a choice between environment and prosperity. We are rather looking at how we combine both because one supports the other.”
{{Ambitious plan, attractive incentives}}
Rwanda targets to achieve universal access to electricity by 2024 with a production capacity of 556MW of which renewable energy will constitute 60% of the energy mix mainly from hydro projects and solar energy. As of end August 2021, access to electricity in Rwanda is recorded at 65.4% with 47.6% grid connections while 17.8% accounts for off-grid connections. The current installed power generation capacity is 235.6MW.
To achieve the above target, the Rwanda Government has developed a Least Cost Power Development Plan that gives priority to renewable energy projects. These mostly include hydro projects (MHPP 33MW, HPP 133MW and hydro pump storage 80MW).
Solar power is also expected to contribute a significant share of electricity generation with solar power plants connected to the grid currently at 5% but as technology improves and prices of storage decrease, there is a plan to increase the share.
IRENA’s analysis published in March 2021 shows that 543MW of on-grid solar PV could be cost-effectively deployed by 2040, and a number of small off-grid systems could be added in rural areas, increasing the share of renewable energy to above 60 percent.
Rwanda’s ambitious targets in renewable energy are built on sharp rise in renewables over the last decade. In terms of installed capacity, Hydro power grew from 48 MW in 2010 to 116.6 MW in 2020 while solar power reached 12.1MW from 0.3MW over the same period. The two constituted 54% of the total national installed capacity in 2020. In terms of energy generation, Hydropower increased from 177 GWh in 2010 to 527.1 GWh in 2020 while solar jumped from 0.3 GWh to 18 GWh with the two making 61% of the total national energy generation in 2020.
Attractive incentives and facilitation package have been put in place to facilitate investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Rwanda.
For private developers in the power sector, incentives include provision of investment certificate for the investor’s special treatment, a variety of non-fiscal and fiscal incentives, tax exemption including VAT on importation of some RE equipment, free repatriation of profits, preferential corporate income tax of 15%, Corporate income tax holiday of up to seven years for energy projects producing 25MW with 50M investment and provision of RDB aftercare support to registered projects with Investment certificate.
Rwanda also offers investment facilitation for Renewable Energy projects, including Power Purchase Agreements of 25 years as minimum, Established Legal Framework to stimulate Public Private Partnership, Standard Independent Power Purchase Agreements, Renewable Energy Fund (REF) to support Off Grid solar and Clean Cooking Technologies development, Result Based Financing and Technical Assistance to increase private sector players and consumer capacity through studies, trainings and awareness campaigns.
Stepping up cooperation with IRENA could give an impetus to ongoing Rwanda’s energy transitioning.
“Enhanced partnership with IRENA will promote exchange of knowledge and best practices in renewable energy. We will work together in resource mobilization efforts to implement our Nationally Determined Contribution especially for renewable energy targets. We look forward to scaling up in our cooperation in renewable energy transitioning for a greener future of Rwanda,” ambassador Emmanuel Hategeka said.
The growing Rwanda-IRENA cooperation opens doors to public and private entities in Rwanda and East Africa. In addition to knowledge and best practices exchange, actors can share projects for consideration by partners collaborating under IRENA’s climate investment platform.
{{Some key ongoing and new projects in Rwanda that may attract IRENA partners under climate investment platform}}
1. Capitalization of the Renewable Energy Fund to support in addressing the affordability challenge for low-income households through the Result-Based Financing framework, managed by Rwanda Development Bank and Rwanda Energy Group/ Energy Development Corporation Limited.
The project encompasses Support to private companies through low-cost loans or direct equity; Grants to strengthen the Standalone Systems value chain, Grants to establish a testing or verification center for Standalone Off-grid System components, Establishment of a regional production and assembly center for off-grid systems, Support of off-grid connected households towards higher tier access energy level and Support in establishing productive use opportunities from Standalone systems owners
2. Construction of Green City. The Green City Kigali is a key project that will develop a blueprint that can be replicated across the country. The project has some parallels with Masdar City in Abu Dhabi in terms of sustainability and green technology. The costing of Green City Delivery is estimated at $5 billion over the next decade. The first phase requires approximately $86 million for the construction of 1,680 housing units.
3. Financial support (Equity, Concession loans, Grants, RBF) in the dissemination of clean cooking technologies in institutions like schools, hotels and restaurants and households by adopting energy efficient cooking fuels such as LPG, high efficient pellets, briquettes and wood stoves. Its key component include Capacity building and awareness campaigns, Provide equipment to the National Clean Cooking Testing Lab, Improved Cook Stoves and LPG Subsector.
4. Energy Efficiency in the Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure with major components of Investment in the dissemination of smart meters to allow for the establishment of the time-of-use tariffs, Upgrade of Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure to n-1 capabilities and Upgrade of transformers in six Secondary Cities
5. Energy Efficiency for appliances. This project envisages the Capitalization of the Cool Lease Fund for the dissemination of energy efficient cooling appliances plus Awareness and promotion of dissemination of efficient lighting appliances.
6. Renewable Energy Generation project with a focus on Rehabilitation of Nyabarongo I Hydro Power Plant; Construction of small hydropower plants with a total installed capacity of around 20MW and Installation of Pump Storage at Nyabarongo II Hydro Power Plant.
7. Proof of concept for transportation and cooking with methane gas (compressed) from Lake Kivu, currently a PPP project under development.
IRENA underlines that East African region including Rwanda requires significant levels of investment in its power generation infrastructure
“To meet the needs of rapidly growing economies, the East African region including Rwanda requires significant levels of investment in its power generation infrastructure. It is important that such long-term planning decisions are well-informed and present a balanced picture of all potential pathways including renewable energy options,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Rwanda joined IRENA in June 2009 and has been an active member since then. Renewable energy is expected to play a central role in delivering Rwanda’s ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in May 2020 that features a 38% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to business as usual by 2030. The country’s efforts to limit its contribution to climate change and adapt to the consequences over the next decade will require approximately US$11 billion.
{{Madam, what is the advantage to work at the multilateral and bilateral levels at the same time?}}
Combining the roles of ambassador and permanent representative presents numerous advantages. First, it allows me to engage my bilateral and multilateral counterparts in one place. I have the opportunity to be directly involved in multilateral discussions and debates which gives me a clearer picture of the priorities of other countries when it comes to global and regional matters. Our various partners are learning to know what Rwanda champions, or supports in the global agenda too. Wearing both hats helps to position Rwanda as a bilateral and multilateral strategic partner while more effectively advancing the interests of my country and of the Rwandan people.
{{Having a Rwandan woman as head of Mission is not exceptional as your country ranks in the top 10 for gender equality in the world. Could you tell us more about the commitment of your government to ensure equal rights for women and men?}}
Since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the country has made significant progress in terms of gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment. This has only been possible thanks to a leadership that has been intentional in promoting these principles.
At the national level, gender equality has been a key pillar of the country’s vision, strategies and policies. Our Constitution, emphasizes the principle of gender equality and women’s rights, and provides for a minimum quota of 30% of women in all decision-making positions. In addition to this, other gender-sensitive laws have been enacted including matrimonial regimes, donation and successions, access to land as well as the prevention and repression of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and criminalization of GBV offenses.
As a result, Rwanda has become a global leader in women’s participation in decision-making positions with 61.3% female members of Parliament and ranked 7th globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report, 2021. 55% of cabinet members are women, 51% of female judges and 45.2% of female as members of district councils in local government leadership.
Rwanda also takes its commitments under international conventions and agreements to which it is party to.
{{Also known as the “Land of Thousand Hills,” your country is famous for extraordinary biodiversity, incredible wildlife, montane rainforests, and national parks. How do you protect your environment and are you impacted by climate change?}}
Like most countries in the world, Rwanda has been negatively impacted by climate change, which has manifested through drought, floods, and landslides. We recognized early on that tackling the climate crisis was a necessity to build a resilient economy. Therefore, Rwanda has decided to take bold measures to protect the environment.
Plastic bags were banned in 2008 and single-use plastics in 2019. We have reforested 30% of the country and have fostered community-led programs such as “Umuganda”. Every last Saturday morning of the month, Rwandans come together at the village level, and agree on which environment or infrastructure challenge they will address and fix.
On the biodiversity conservation side, we also have several initiatives that involve the local communities. To give an example, the Virunga park’s mountain gorillas are the only great ape species increasing in number all over the world with their official status recently upgraded from critically endangered to endangered.
Rwanda is committed to environment protection and with the support of strong partners, will achieve its ambitious plan detailed in the Paris Agreement’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
{{Rwanda has made enormous progress in the communication sector, extending internet accessibility, improving infrastructure, integrating ICTs as well as prioritizing digital literacy. Could you share with us the country’s vision?}}
In the early years of the internet, our government quickly realized the potential of ICT as a driver and enabler of sustainable socio-economic development, especially for a landlocked country with limited natural resources. From there we defined a vision for our country to become a knowledge-based economy and society; and to position Rwanda as a regional and continental ICT hub.
To reach our goal, the government has adopted an ambitious digital agenda articulated in a series of five-year strategies. These strategies support the progressive roll-out of digital infrastructure, with 90% of the country being covered by 3G and 4G, one of the highest rate on the continent. E-governance is also a priority, with close to 100 public services available on “Irembo”, an online one-stop center for e-governance services.
In addition to that, the government has launched a series of innovative partnerships to expand digital literacy and create an infrastructure to support the private sector and technology start-ups.
{{The health sector has also significantly improved and universal health coverage is one example. How do you make it a reality?}}
Good governance and decentralization of health services have made possible the implementation of national health strategies and universal health coverage.
While central government focuses on policy formulation, monitoring, capacity building and resource mobilization, health services are decentralized. The network of community health workers has been critical in ensuring citizen awareness and participation in health programs as well as rapidly identifying health problems and referring patients to the relevant services. 90,5% of the Rwandans are covered by a health insurance. This existing system has allowed for Rwanda’s response to COVID-19 to be swift and robust. Our vaccination campaign kicked off in late March this year, and to-date, over 25% of the adult population has been vaccinated, with over 90% in the Capital City.
{ {{This article was first published by UN Today on 1st November 2021. }} }
{{Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga is a correspondent and Vice-President of Club Suisse de la Presse.}}
