As the five-year ReCIC project (Reducing Climate Impact of Cooking) draws to a close, the Rwandan government has reiterated its ambitious goal to expand access to eco-friendly cooking fuels in a bid to reduce the widespread use of firewood and charcoal. With only 5% of households currently using clean cooking solutions, the Ministry of Infrastructure is working with private sector innovators and financial institutions to scale sustainable cooking technologies and make them affordable to all, especially rural communities still reliant on traditional fuels.
The ReCIC project was designed to strengthen the capacity of businesses producing clean cooking technologies, particularly appliances used for cooking in a sustainable manner.
Phoibe Kawera, a resident of Gatsibo District and a producer of eco-friendly cookstoves and related products, emphasized the urgent need for government support to scale up their operations.
“We are requesting government support because these cookstoves are expensive to produce, yet our capital is limited. We hope the government can assist us so we can expand our work,” she said.
Hirwa Germain, one of the founders of a modern cookstove manufacturing company based in Kigali, echoed similar sentiments. Both entrepreneurs expressed the need to grow their investments and increase their production capacity.
“Our strategy is to reach out to potential investors who can support us and connect us with financial institutions in every possible way,” he added.
Supporting businesses involved in clean cooking technologies to access financing for growth is a strategy endorsed by several institutions in Rwanda. Serge Wilson Muhizi, the head of the Energy Private Developers (EPD), an organization in the energy sector, explained:
“At EPD, one of our key roles is to engage with banks, present private sector proposals, and facilitate connections so that these companies can access the funds set aside by banks for such initiatives.”
Jean Bosco Mugiraneza, Director General for Energy at the Ministry of Infrastructure, stated that the government’s goal is to make eco-friendly fuels accessible and affordable for all citizens.
“Our aim is to ensure that if a household used to rely on firewood or charcoal, they can now transition to cleaner fuels at a reasonable or even lower cost,” he said.
According to the latest ECV survey, only 5% of households used clean cooking fuels in 2024, a modest increase from 1% in 2017. Urban areas lead in adoption at 14%, while rural usage remains at just 1%.
The Government of Rwanda aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 38% by 2030, equivalent to 4.6 million tons of carbon dioxide.
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