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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Clementine Nyiraneza wakes up at five in the morning every day. Her main activity consists of agriculture on a farm located at Rugogwe, a remote rural village in Nyaruguru district in Southern Rwanda.
The 35-year-old mother never envisioned that he would spend his life without electricity. This became a barrier for the community to improve their incomes through electricity in her remote village to pursue prosperous lives, but now Nyiraneza and her colleagues’ women are generating income through electricity.
“Before accessing to the energy in our village, women were vulnerable, because everything we depended to our husbands. Now electricity plays a vital role in improving the economy. In one year we have evidences of the achievement as the people spent more than 50 years without electricity.” Said Nyiraneza.
Uwamariya Jeanne is woman lives in Rugogwe village. She expresses her emotions after enjoying electricity in her home.
“When we needed paste (cassava and maize), we would travel for three thousand Rwandan Francs 3000 Rwfrs, (go 1500 and 1500 Rwfrs for back) can you imagine using three thousand for transport and you have five kilos of maize or cassava? It was a bitter life because our development was slow, but now we produce many things through this electricity. I have ordered a grinder machine that will help me to produce precooked cassava leaves.”
She added that now they save money and time. Nyiraneza as a women established a beauty salon for women and men she express her emotions and how energy helps her to generate income.
The Rugogwe community made the long journey of 10km to reach the beauty salon, charge phones, and other things need electricity.
“Now women and men come to my beauty salon for pedicure and manicure, hairstyles and make up. I can save one hundred thousand Rwanda francs per month.”
Not in Rwanda energy helps women to generate income, because in South Africa too women are generating income through energy as Mr. Isaac Mangera, the general manager of communications at City Power in Johannesburg says.
“In South Africa women are generating income because of energy. Some of them have small enterprises producing soft drinks, producing production from livestock and others have daily work using electricity.”
What is expo Energy Africa 2024 is talking about in Kigali?
Mr. Kabera Olivier, Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, emphasized the urgency of Africa’s energy transformation during his opening address, stating, “This summit is both timely and essential for sustainable energy development.
The urgency of Africa’s energy transformation
Kabera highlighted the summit’s objective to address Africa’s energy disparity, pointing out that approximately 600 million people, representing 43% of the continent’s population, still lack access to electricity predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Kabera, this summit provides a strategic platform to drive investments, forge partnerships, and explore innovative solutions to narrow the energy equity gap and ensure universal access across Africa.
“We believe that energy is not merely a commodity but a catalyst for development, innovation, and social equity,” Kabera remarked, adding that energy access is foundational to achieving Africa’s broader development goals.
The minister urged attendees to harness this platform for collaboration, emphasizing that sustainable energy solutions require collective efforts from the public and private sectors alike.
A platform for progress and partnership
The Africa Energy Expo Summit, hosted in Kigali, is designed to foster collaboration, share expertise, and generate actionable strategies for the continent’s energy sector.
Organized by Informa Markets, this inaugural event brings key players together to address Africa’s power infrastructure gaps and promote renewable energy investment.
Attendees include leaders from various sectors, such as finance, energy, and policy, committed to accelerating Africa’s shift towards sustainable energy.
The summit will feature discussions on strategic investment opportunities, new technologies, and policies necessary to build an inclusive, resilient energy sector.
Kabera expressed confidence that the summit would generate concrete outcomes, benefiting not only Africa’s nations but also future generations, who will depend on sustainable energy for growth and prosperity.
Looking ahead to a sustainable energy future
As the summit unfolds, industry experts, government representatives, and business leaders are expected to engage in robust dialogues on Africa’s path to energy transformation.
With Africa standing at what Kabera described as a “pivotal moment,” the summit promises to lay the groundwork for innovative projects and partnerships that will propel the continent towards a more sustainable energy future.
Kabera expressed gratitude to the event organizers, partners, and participants for their dedication to advancing Africa’s energy agenda. He reaffirmed the Rwandan government’s commitment to fostering a thriving energy sector, positioning the Africa Energy Expo Summit as a landmark event in the journey toward a sustainable and equitable energy landscape for Africa.
According to statistics from Rwanda Energy Group, the number of households accessing electricity has increased from 10% in 2010 to 74.5% as of September 2022. Kicukiro and Nyaruguru Districts have currently the highest rate with 99% while the lowest rate is above 50%.
