Policy and market review for modern energy cooking in Rwanda

Executive Summary
This report was commissioned by Loughborough University, the lead implementing partner on the
Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program.
The purpose of this report is to explore the policy frameworks and national markets in Rwanda around
modern energy cooking solutions, in order to understand the existing cooking landscape and the potential
of modern energy cooking solutions in the country, particularly electric cooking, providing MECS with
recommendations to support the transition towards modern energy cooking services in Rwanda. The
the report is based on primary and secondary research conducted by Energy 4 Impact (E4I) between January
and June 2021, including interviews with clean cooking stakeholders from the public and private sectors
in Rwanda.
Over the last decades, Rwanda has experienced substantial socio-economic progress, driven by a long-
term political vision to achieve high standards of life for Rwandans. Energy is a cross-cutting area of focus
by the Government of Rwanda (GoR) to achieve this socio-economic transformation, with ambitious
targets on generation capacity, quality, and reliability of supply and energy access.
The main policies setting the strategic framework for Rwanda’s energy sector are the Rwanda Energy
Policy and the Energy Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP). The ambitious objectives set in these policies have led
to 62% of Rwandan households having access to electricity in 2021, from only 9% in 2009. This outstanding
progress is aligned with the current goal of the GoR of achieving universal electrification by 2024. The
advances in electricity access contrast with the continued reliance on traditional cooking technologies and
fuels by the majority of Rwandans, with the subsequent health, economic and environmental impacts.
In the electricity sector, the combination of grid-connected and off-grid solutions, such as solar home
systems or mini-grids have been considered in the road towards universal electrification. While a strong
the focus has been placed on productive uses of electricity, electricity consumption by households remains
low at 20.8 kWh/month, with access, limited to low-load appliances for most households, and relatively
high electricity tariffs compared to other countries in the region. Rwanda has also introduced targets for
the improvement of the reliability and efficiency of the electricity supply in the country, as well as
financing schemes to support the off-grid sector, such as the results-based-grants under a joint scheme
by Rwanda Renewable Energy Fund (REF) and Rwanda Energy Access and Quality Improvement Project
(EAQIP), financed by the World Bank.

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