Experts and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have urged all governments to emulate Rwanda’s model and efforts to embrace renewable initiatives in the country.

"Investments in renewable energy should be the concern of both the government and the private sector. This is one of the best ever innovations in Conference of Parties (COP) and it is time private investors in Africa seize the opportunity, Assaad Razzouk, the chairman of Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia said.

He was contributing to a discussion under the theme; "Creating enabling environments for private sector finance for renewable energy in Africa” during the Paris climate talks this week, hosted by the African Development Bank, on how African countries can make significant economic progress in renewable energy.

"In Rwanda, we are very keen about translating energy policies into workable solutions. The private sector is very instrumental in this drive,” explained Alex Mulisa of the Rwanda National Fund for Environment and climate change, Fonerwa.

Experts admit that the cost of energy in Africa at the moment was relatively high but noted that the solution to the crisis had to be local.

Statistics show that energy access in rural areas in Africa is only 15%. It is hoped that with the embrace of renewable energy the access could leapfrog to acceptable levels.

"Whether there is a favorable agreement or not at COP21, it does not prevent Africa from pursuing and attaining its development goals,’’ said Augustine Njamnshi of the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance, PACJA.

Renewable energy initiative in Rwanda awarded

Mobisol operating in Rwanda and Tanzania scooped the recognition award for powering homes with solar energy.

The award was among sixteen game-changing initiatives from around the world to address climate change.

The solar home power initiative award is among the model on renewable energy in Rwanda on working with private sector that AfDB commends.

It was organized by Momentum for Change Initiative spearheaded by the UN Climate Change Secretariat to motivate most innovative, scalable and replicable examples of what people are doing to address climate change.

Thomas Duveau, head of Business Development of Mobisol, said so far 8,968 households in Rwanda have benefited from their system and by the end of the year they could rise to 10,000 as every month there is a rate of 1,000 households who subscribe.

In Tanzania, he said so far 24,000 households have access to their solar energy at their homes.

Rwanda will start a campaign next year to eradicate kerosene lamps, but officials say this could be achieved by the involvement of private sector and investors.

Financial pledges

The renewable energy vision could be also boosted by new pledges been made during side events at Paris conference according to Mulisa.

"We have met with a range of partners keen to support in renewable energy. Over the next few months, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Natural Resources will work together to follow up on the pledges,” he said.

He added that their delegation had also had the chance to talk with leaders of Green Climate Fund on the funding proposal already submitted to boost solar energy for rural homes.

Rwanda is set to receive up to $50m per project and has also received a $300,000 readiness grant disbursed this week.

Kawisafi project also supported by the fund will also soon be operating in Rwanda and Kenya to drive off-grid solar power.

Initiatives in Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Guinea, Benin and Tanzania covered self-solar water heating systems, enabling farmers to climate change by using mobile phones, establishing women-led groups that protect forests and generate income, empowering women farmers through solar drip irrigation and others.

This article was made in the framework of the Media21 Africa Project by CFI, the French operator in media cooperation