The Government of Rwanda has admitted that its nationwide biogas initiative, launched nearly 20 years ago to provide clean cooking energy, has not produced the expected results. Officials say a new strategy is now underway to revive the project and ensure it becomes a reliable alternative to firewood and charcoal.
The explanation came on Wednesday, November 26, as Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Jimmy Gasore and Minister of Environment Dr. Arakwiye Bernadette addressed the Senate on behalf of the prime minister.
They were responding to questions on how Rwanda plans to expand access to affordable and environmentally friendly cooking fuels.
During the session, several senators questioned why biogas systems installed in households have not been sustainable, despite heavy government investment.
Senator Pélagie Uwera asked, “If biogas is still considered a key solution to reduce the use of traditional wood-based fuels, what went wrong and what will ensure it finally works?”
Senator Marie Rose Mureshyankwano noted that some large institutions, including the Rwanda National Police and the Rwanda Correctional Service, are successfully using alternative energy. “If it works for them, why hasn’t it worked elsewhere?” she asked.
Government admits past mistakes, promises revival
Minister Gasore acknowledged that biogas deployment since 2006 did not meet its targets.
“A feasibility study indicated that only about 15% of expected results were achieved. The biogas program did not meet its goals, despite its strong potential to provide cooking gas,” he said.
He pointed to weak project planning, limited technical expertise, and unrealistic assumptions, such as expecting households to own multiple cows and have enough water supply to produce sufficient manure for gas generation.
To avoid repeating those mistakes, Gasore said the government will now begin with small-scale, controlled pilot projects before expanding nationwide.
“We have chosen to restart the project slowly. We will implement it in targeted areas, ensure it works well, and only then expand,” he explained.
The Ministry of Infrastructure is now working with UNDP to improve livestock feeding systems and manure management so that households can produce enough input for biogas.
“This revised approach gives us confidence. Once it is fully understood and proven, we will gradually scale it up to reach more people — without repeating past failures,” he said.
A costly project with limited returns
Launched in 2006, the biogas program aimed to promote clean cooking using cow dung in rural areas. More than 10,000 household digesters were built nationwide.
In 2014/2015 alone, the government spent over Rwf 1 billion to install more than 3,000 units, yet many remained nonfunctional due to technical flaws and lack of maintenance services.
The 2017/2018 Auditor General’s report found widespread project mismanagement, noting that a large number of biogas systems were either abandoned or never operational, and that communities lacked access to technical support.
Rwanda still aims to cut reliance on wood fuels
Rwanda plans to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal to 42% of household cooking energy by 2030. Achieving this transition is estimated to cost $1.37 billion.
The country is also constructing gas storage facilities capable of holding 15 million kilograms of cooking gas, a measure expected to stabilize prices and ensure supply.
Rwanda has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 38% by 2030, with cleaner cooking energy listed among major strategies to meet that goal.
