Electronic giants, Philips, is interested in entering the Rwandan market to provide lighting and healthcare-lifestyle solutions.

Bill Biene, the Philips chief marketing officer and Head of Strategy, revealed this during a panel on energy efficiency through smart lighting systems at the ongoing COP22 summit in Marrakech, Morocco, yesterday.

"I welcome the opportunity of having a discussion of what can be done in Rwanda. I’m impressed by the bold leadership and intelligent labour force of Rwanda. We have facilities across the world and I will be glad to know what is the right choice for Rwanda,” Biene said.

He said his company has been committed to Africa since its founding, adding that a discussion on investment in Rwanda is quite timely "given its impressive economic growth.”

As part of its transformation, Philips moved from a holding company structured around multiple divisions to two stand-alone operating companies – in the areas of health technology and lighting.

In May , Philips Lighting was listed and started trading on Euronext in Amsterdam as a stand-alone company, focusing on the great opportunities in energy-efficient connected LED lighting. A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source.

The one-hour panel explored how countries, cities and corporations are using smart lighting systems to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy costs.

Faustin Munyazikwiye, the director of climate change and international obligations at Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), called on governments to put in place conducive policy and regulatory frameworks to enable building confidence among investors.

"It shouldn’t just stop there. Even in those policies, governments need to set clear targets and prioritise how they are tackling issues of renewable energy,” he said  

Citing Rwanda’s success story, Nick Nuttall, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) spokesperson, said smart lighting systems are creating a profound transformation of the lighting sector, pushing the old technologies out of the market.

"Rwanda is doing a tremendous amount on lighting and we have awarded a number of people that do door to door energy efficient lighting cells,” he said.

During COP21 in Paris, last year, hundreds of governments, businesses and financial institutions pledged major action on energy efficiency, recognising it as the basis of the energy transition.

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