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By Annonciata Byukusenge
The faint, smoky glow of the agatadowa, a small, locally made lamp, once defined Clementine Nyiraneza’s evenings. Its dim light barely pierced the darkness, casting long, wavering shadows across her small home.
“It was difficult,” she says
“We struggled to see, to do anything after sunset,” she adds.
She choked on the smoke so many times that she became used to it. And that was not the only impediment that existed in her life.
“When we needed paste (cassava and maize), we would pay about three thousand Rwandan Francs (3000 Rwfrs) for transport to get a posho mill,” she explains
When we visit her, we notice the solar panels atop her roof from a distance. She is not the only one who has installed one, many homes in her area have adopted solar powered electricity to replace the use of dirty fuel such as kerosene for lighting.
Her children no longer have to squint when doing their homework.
“They can study now late into the night or even early in the morning,” she says.
Across the district in Rwamagana, we find Alex Rwibasira, a young avocado farmer, standing beside a large solar-powered water pump. Water gushes from the pipe as he strategically points it to the growing avocados which covers about 13 hectares.
“I started to farm avocados in 2022 after my studies in Poland. I decided to invest in agriculture because of unemployment issues. Is not easy to engage in agriculture because of drought issues in our village, but I received the support of solar panels to help me in irrigation and to pump water to the dam,” says Rwibasira.
Rwibasira admits that solar panels are expensive, something that worries some people in the agriculture sector.
“I received the support of 56 million Rwandan Francs from the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project (SAIP). It is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), through the World Bank. The project is implemented under RAB’s Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU),” he explains.
Apart from the support of renewable energy in agriculture, Rwanda is also slowly transitioning to a cleaner transport system.
Gaga Cyiza, a bus driver, tells us that he has operated various public transport vehicles before but the new electric bus one stands out for its efficiency. He also added that the Rwf500 fare is a small price to pay for the level of comfort it offers.
“The seats are quite comfortable, and passengers haven’t voiced any complaints. Passengers who have experienced this bus once are eager to choose it again. It’s like taking a motorcycle; passengers board quickly, and we reach our destination promptly,” he says.
Jonathan Munyemanzi, a passenger who recently traveled on one of the new electric buses to Nyanza, in the Kicukiro district, Kigali city says that he’d rather pay more and use an electric bus than pay less for the non-electric buses.
Rwanda’s energy sector, aiming for universal electricity access, relies on a mix of hydropower, thermal power, solar, and methane-to-power, with a focus on expanding renewable energy sources and improving grid infrastructure.
According to the Rwanda Energy Group, with a potential of 4.5 kWh per square metres every day and approximately 5 peak sun hours, solar energy has a huge potential in Rwanda. Currently, Rwanda’s total on-grid installed solar energy is 12.050 MW originating from 3 solar power plants namely; the Jali power plant generating 0.25MW, Rwamagana Gigawatt generating 8.5 MW, and the Nasho Solar plant generating 3.3 MW.
The Government of Rwanda intends to increase the number of solar power plants to reduce the cost of production and take advantage of available renewable sources in Rwanda.
Twaha Twagirimana an energy expert and manager of Gigawatt Global at the Rwamagana solar plant tells us that Rwanda is actively promoting renewable energy. This will help in attaining the 2030 goal of 60 per cent renewable energy in the energy mix.
“Rwanda is actively promoting renewable energy, with hydropower currently dominating the electricity generation mix, accounting for over 50% of the total power generation, and a growing focus on solar and other renewable sources. Now Gigawatt Global contributes an 8.5 MW utility-scale solar power plant. It is the first large-scale commercial solar field in East Africa.,” said Twagirimana.
This station was constructed on 20ha and it has 28,360 panels. One panel has between 1m-2m.
“The energy from this solar station connects immediately on the grid and Rwanda Energy Group manages it for its clients. We will continue to work with REG because those solar panels have a guarantee of 25 years. We have had it for 10 years,” he says
Twagirimana added that REG has to think about the distribution of solar panels in the community and continue trading the power that is today.
“When people have solar panels in their homes, REG will supply much energy during the night, because during the day there are many activities that need energy. At night, people can use solar energy,” he says.
According to the Rwanda Energy Group (REG), end of February 2025, the cumulative connectivity rate in Rwanda is 82.2% of Rwandan households including 57.4% connected to the national grid and 24.8% accessing through off-grid systems (mainly solar).
Challenges
Despite significant progress, Rwanda faces challenges in fully realizing its renewable energy potential. Limited access to financing, technological barriers, and regulatory constraints pose obstacles to the widespread adoption of clean energy solutions.
Electricity generation alone takes 10 percent of needed funding to mitigate climate change.
At least $285 million is needed for solar pumping for irrigation. Transforming Lives: The Kibugabuga-Shinga-Gasoro Road to Boost Mobility and Economic Growth
The government needs about $190 million for vehicle emissions standards required, while $28 million is for solar street lighting and $600 million for off-grid and rooftop solar electrification.
Challenges for local financiers in Rwanda to invest in renewable energy sources and its mitigation
Development of 56.75 MW large hydro capacity projects and 75 MW regional projects by 2030 needs a $328 million investment.
Even as Rwanda has the desire to shift to cleaner sources of energy by 2030, oil exploration is still an active discussion in government.
The Rwanda Mines, Petroleum, and Gas Board (RMB) announced on January 15 about the discovery of 13 oil wells in Lake Kivu.
RMB’s CEO, Francis Kamanzi, shared the revelation during a meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Governance, Gender Equality, and the Ministry of Environment.
“The good news is that we have oil. Preliminary research in Lake Kivu revealed 13 wells with signs of oil,” Kamanzi stated, adding that further studies are required to determine the quantity and extraction costs.
Rwanda’s exploration efforts in Lake Kivu are buoyed by similar discoveries in neighboring regions. Kamanzi highlighted the geological connection to Lake Albert in Uganda, part of the same rift valley that extends through Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika.
“Our Lake Kivu is deeper than other lakes in the region, so we might have more oil than our neighbors,” he said.
Exploration Process and Costs
Initial studies confirmed oil presence through research conducted at depths of up to 480 meters, where machines collected samples from the lakebed. However, deeper exploration is needed to assess the type, quantity, and commercial viability of the reserves. This next phase involves drilling to collect additional samples, a process that is both complex and costly. Drilling one well can exceed $15 million (approximately Frws 20 billion).
Earlier exploration phases cost Frws 1.7 billion, and future stages are projected to require between Frws 8 billion and Frws 10 billion. Advanced machines will be deployed to map the lakebed in detail, identifying precise locations of oil and gas reserves.
