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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Farmers who joined the National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), known as Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi, which was implemented by RAB – SPIU in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, say that now the banks trust them for loans because their livestock and crops have insurance.
Kamuzindu Claude is a farmer in the Nkotsi sector, Musanze district.
He says that having insurance for his livestock gives him the trust of the bank, allowing him to continue expanding his livestock business and improving his lifestyle.
“I applied for a loan of 5 million RWF to start a livestock business. I offered insured cows, and the bank approved it and gave me a loan. Tekana is a guaranteed.
Console Nyirahirwa is a farmer who lives in the Nemba sector, in the Burera district in Northern Rwanda.
Nyirahirwa is one of 2112 members of COVMB Cooperative. Women are 731 and 1381 are men. This Cooperative joined NAIS- Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi in 2022 with 200ha of maize farm in Ndongozi and Nyirabirande swamps. For those ha they insured, they paid 24 million Rwandan Francs for one year.
“In 2024 floods affected our maize farm on 84 ha. Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi compensated us 18 million and 500 hundred Rwandan Francs. If our crops were not insured, we would have suffered a huge loss.” Theobald Ndacyayisenga, the president of COVMB Cooperative mentioned.
In January 2025 Nyirahirwa requested a loan from the Bank of Kigali, and the bank accepted her request because of Tekana.
“As a farmer, I need to extend my development from various incomes. I requested a loan of two thousand hundred Rwandan Francs (200,000 Rwfrs) in BK and in three weeks the bank gave me that loan after verifying if I was in Tekana. Tekana is a guarantee.”
She added that that money helped to pay school fees for her kids and to rent another farm for beans.
In 2025 season A, Nyirahirwa farmed maize on 20a. “In this season the 3a is affected by floods. Tekana compensated me 12.000 Rwfrs. If my crops were not insured, I would have suffered a huge loss.” Said Nyirahirwa.
“Uzabakiriho Gervais from the Shangasha sector in the Gicumbi district, applied for loans to buy dairy cows. I have 15 cows including two cows I bought in the loan I have applied for in the Bank of Kigali. Before joining Tekana, I tried to buy a cow but it was very expensive without enough capital. Now I can request even the loan of 40 million in the bank because my livestock is insured.”
Dusabemariya Francoise is a farmer in the Bushoki sector, Rulindo district and she is a member of KOVAMABA Cooperative. This cooperative joined Tekana in 2022.
“Now I am working with the bank because I have Tekana as the guarantee. Bank trust me. I have a known address, and crops are insured as the main criteria for getting the loan from the banks. I encourage other farmers especially women to insure their crops and livestock, and improve their incomes and social-economic.”
Her colleague Ndahayo Joseph from the Gataraga sector in the Musanze district is an Irish potato farmer. He says that to extend his agricultural activities started to work with the bank.
“In 2023, I applied for a loan in the bank. The purpose of this loan was to add my capital because seed potatoes are expensive. The bank gave me the money I requested through Tekana as a guarantee.”
The Governor of the Northern Province, Maurice Mugabowagahunde, has encouraged farmers and livestock keepers to embrace crop and livestock insurance, particularly by making the most of the government’s subsidy scheme designed to support them in times of loss.
“What we ask of our citizens is to seize this opportunity, because if the government is covering 40% of the insurance cost, then in the event of adverse weather or accidents, at least they are protected from significant financial loss,” he said.
In the 2024 Season B, the Northern Province had set a target to insure 58,628 animals but managed to insure 45,663, which included 7,977 cows, 48,470 chickens, and 2,281 pigs – achieving 77.9% of the target. The crop insurance target was 1,188 hectares, but the province insured 1,434 hectares of maize, rice, beans, and potatoes – reaching 128% of the target.
NAIS- Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi Achievements
From 2019, 6,448,769,162 Frw has been compensated to farmers and livestock keepers (3,492,644,699 Frw to farmers and 2,956,124,463 Frw to livestock keepers, since the start of this program).
The crop farmers are 161,445. The 84,576 are men and 76,869 are women who take out insurance sponsored by the government under the “TEKANA URISHINGIWE Muhinzi Mworozi” Program every year.
The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) known as Tekana Urishingiwe Muhinzi Mworozi implements by RAB – SPIU in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
