The Minister of Infrastructure, Erneste Nsabimana, has disclosed that the Government will use Rwf500 billion to support its universal electrification efforts, with a main focus on districts with low energy access levels.

He made the disclosure on Tuesday, October 18, as he appeared before the Chamber of Deputies to provide responses to issues related to water and electricity access, as well as the damaged bridges across the country.

While the Government of Rwanda seeks to achieve universal access to electricity by 2024, the level is still very low in some districts, a situation that made some lawmakers question the attainment of such a target within the remaining two years.

Mussa Fazil Harerimana, Deputy Speaker in charge of Finance and Administration, said that there was an issue of energy infrastructure, including that some districts still have very low electricity access for their residents.

This, he said, makes one wonder whether the universal electrification target by 2024, will be achieved. This target is under the Government's first phase of national strategy for transformation -- running from 2017 through 2024.

"Burera District has energy access of 43 per cent, Nyamasheke 44 per cent, Gakenke 44.1 per cent, Ngororero 48 per cent, Gicumbi 52 per cent, Karongi at 52.8 per cent, Nyabihu at 56 per cent,” Harerimana said.

So far, Nsabimana said, overall energy distribution is estimated at 74 per cent at national level [estimated at over two million households connected to electricity across the country, according to Rwanda Energy Group], of which about 24 per cent is from solar energy [while about 50 per cent is from other energy sources, mainly hydropower].

He said that the major reason for the fact that some districts were lagging behind in terms of energy access was budget constraints.

"But, now, there is good news that funds amounting to over Rwf500 billion for electricity distribution across the country has been secured,” he said.

He told legislators that the Government wants such secured financing be spent with a view to scale up the energy access in those districts that have lower performance.

"More efforts are going to be invested in those areas (districts) which are still [at low electricity access rates], at like 43 per cent, 44 per cent, so that they also increase their levels to ensure that they at least be at the same pace of other districts in line with attaining the universal energy access by 2024,” he said, indicating that there are some districts which are at 75 per cent and 78 per cent.

However, he said that the Government still needs more money – about Rwf600 billion – that they are still looking for from various sources of funding in order to achieve the set universal energy access target in 2024, but indicated that there is good progress that has been made in terms of energy access in the country.

There are many partners in the energy programme, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other financiers, he pointed out, adding that the Government took a lot of loans in order to increase energy distribution.

Meanwhile, MPs revealed that some of the electricity transmission lines have weak energy which cannot power people's development projects (businesses). Also, the energy from such transmission lines has frequent power outages (supply interruptions).

On this concern, the Minister said that it was prevalent in the outskirts of the City of Kigali, or rural areas, especially in the Eastern part of the country.

There were two factors underlying the problem, he explained, pointing out that the first was old power transmission lines that were undergoing frequent losses or weaknesses.

"The second reason was that after setting up a single-phase power transmission line, there was rapid development which made residents need a three-phase power line,” he said, citing the establishment of maize, cassava processing factories in some areas, which required more electricity to run.

Single-phase power is used where electricity needs are low, such as for running small equipment, while three-phase power carries a heavy load and can run large machinery in factories.

"This is an ongoing project [for adequate power installations]. The Eastern part [of the country] has been completely served, and it continues in other districts so that such an issue is addressed,” he said, adding that the country also started revamping its power transmission lines to this end.

"In the programmes we are undertaking, there is a project to solve this issue through boosting the weak power transmission lines we have,” he said.