Rwanda

  • Rwanda is considering agro-processes to enhance its geothermal resources base.
  • Africa’s geothermal investments are projected to reach $35 billion by 2050.
  • By 2050, geothermal power capacity in Africa will more than double Europe’s capacity.

Rwanda geothermal energy offers the East African country a way to diversify its sources of electricity and reduce reliance on imported energy. According to official reports, Rwanda is aiming to add 30 megawatts of geothermal power to its electricity grid but it is also considering other uses of the energy resource, owing to the costs related to electricity generation using geothermal resources.

“We are focusing on developing direct heat utilization and continuing exploration for deeper resources to produce electricity in the future,” Eugene Karangwa, Head of Alternative Energies and Geothermal at Rwanda Energy Group (REG), announced recently. He said Rwanda is looking to utilize its geothermal resources directly for heating and drying, and not just electricity …

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  • According to the UNDP, only 20% of Africans can access quality health care easily.
  • World Health Organization recognizes Rwanda as one of the few American countries to perform well on the goal of Universal health coverage.
  • The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program (HEPR) has awarded 34 grants worth $177 million as of June 2022.

Rwanda is among the upcoming African countries trying to catch up to its sister countries. Today Rwanda is among the few African countries that strive to attain Universal Health Coverage, and this comes because 90% of Rwanda’s population has health insurance.

Understanding what exactly is Universal Health Coverage

Universal Health Coverage, or UHC, is used when a government can provide medical access to all its citizens regardless of where and when the patient requires it. It is a known fact that medical debt is among the top three causes of personal financial difficulties, alongside education

As Africa’s role in the global economy continues to garner prominence, it’s imperative for the continent to seal the gaping hole in its power supply.

Lack of universal power access remains a major roadblock that has retrogressed industrialization and socio-economic development. Statistics from the World Bank indicate that Africa remains the least electrified region in the world, with 568 million people lacking access to electricity.

The Bretton Woods institution, further notes that the Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without electricity, jumped to 77 per cent in 2020 from 71 per cent in 2018, whilst most regions saw declines in their share of access deficits. It has become a Hobson’s choice for African governments to prioritize the power sector, which is the epicenter of industrialization, working towards Goal 7 of the UN SDGs; which advocates for universal access to affordable, reliable and modern electricity services.

Currently, Africa’s power is …

Rwanda’s solar energy ambition received an endorsement of a financial instrument from the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance.

According to the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, the first boost will be US$ 9 million and will enable the deployment of solar home systems for 175,000 households

The institution approved the piloting of solar securitisation, which seeks to improve the financial capacities of developers to enable them to expand and meet the demands in the local market.

Rwanda targets to connect 300,000 households annually to the off-grid energy solutions if it is to meet the 2024 access target which will contribute up to 48 per cent of national electrification.

Among the challenges include the fact that the systems are financed by customers whose sales have been relying on the solar developers’ ability to leverage their own balance sheets which are often constrained.

The firms have often found challenges …

Rwanda’s Mara Group launched two smartphones describing them as the first “Made in Africa” models.

The two smartphones which are, Mara X and Mara Z will use Google’s Android operating system and cost 175,750 Rwandan francs ($190) and 120,250 Rwandan francs ($130) respectively.

They two will compete with Samsung, whose cheapest smartphone costs around $54 and non-branded phones at around $37. Ashish Thakkar Mara Group CEO said it was targeting customers who are willing to pay more for quality.

Mara Group is the first smartphone manufacturer in Africa giving a boost to Rwanda’s ambitions to become a regional technology hub.

Thakkar said that other companies assemble smartphones in Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa, but import the components but they are the first smartphone manufacturers in Africa.

He said that they are making the motherboards the sub-boards during the entire process. He also said that plant had …

Rwanda gets $20 million boost to finance water supply and sanitation programme.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development (OFID) signed an agreement with Rwanda on Wednesday for additional the financing.

Rwanda aims at improving water and sanitation infrastructure in Kigali, the six satellite cities and contain waterborne diseases as well as related healthcare costs with the funding it is getting.

The funding boost is seen to improve the living standards of nearly 1.6 million people. This is in line with the country’s development and poverty reduction agenda which aims at scaling up investments, developing an affordable and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.

The funding is an addition to the $17-million loan that the OPEC Fund gave to Rwanda in March last year. The funding was still for water and sanitation programme whose aim was to ensure equitable provision of adequate, reliable and sustainable water and sanitation …

Sub-Saharan African clothing and footwear market is worth $31 billion US dollars and growing. In a series of articles about the industry in Sub Sahara Africa, we will explore the policies, trade and the budding creative fashion industry in the region. This is the second part of the series where we focus on the raw material for the textile industry.

Read the previous series:  Africa Fashionomics: Making sense of the $31 Billion industry

Also:  Africa Fashionomics: Not enough materials to support a budding textile industry

And also: Africa Fashionomics: Business of Fashion in Africa led by Ethiopia

East African Community had one ambitious goal; to get rid of second-hand clothes in the region and shield their nascent textile industry from adverse effects of these clothes from U.S and Europe. The goal was already set and the countries would effect a hike on the duty charged on second-hand clothes. East African …

Kountable, a global trade and technology platform, has formed strategic partnerships with customs agencies in both Rwanda and Kenya.

This provides Kountable with a dedicated group of customs experts to assist in the timely processing and payment for imported goods in the region in addition to providing last-mile logistics so that goods can remain insured in that final stretch of the trade.

“The more parties we have who validate and participate in a transaction,” said Kountable CEO Chris Hale, “the more trust and transparency we bring to the network. We have gone through an extensive process to select these partners based on their professionalism and strength of their experience.”

Selected by an in-depth interview process and the recommendations of the Rwanda Revenue Authority’s (RRA’s) Risk Management Office and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA’s) Commissioner, Customs and Excise Services Department, these custom agencies are certified, vetted and found to be …

Rwanda’s mobile industry has joined forces with the GSMA to drive mobile internet adoption and increase digital literacy in the country.

Local operators Airtel and MTN will commence a program of activity around digital inclusion as part of the GSMA’s We Care initiative in Rwanda. We Care is launched in collaboration with Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), supporting government efforts to boost ICT penetration and digital services across the country.

“I am glad to see the mobile operators, Airtel and MTN, coming together to work towards a common goal that will be beneficial to society,” said H.E Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation of Rwanda.

“Smartphones are important ICT tools that can be used to access key digital services: education and information, healthcare, financial services, amongst others. Increasing digital inclusion in Rwanda will, therefore, go a long way in empowering our …

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