Access Infra Africa, an infrastructure development vehicle managed by Dubai based Access, has reached an agreement allowing it to acquire 70 per cent of Rwanda Compost Limited (RCL). RCL is a special purpose vehicle owned by Mauritius investors established to operate the first municipal solid waste to agricultural grade compost facility in Rwanda and East Africa. The company has secured a 25-year concession over the solid waste of the City of Kigali. The 70 per cent take over agreement, announced yesterday, comes days after Rwanda Compost officials visited the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss how to set up a recycling plant at Nduba Dumpsite in Gasabo District. In a statement, Nikesh Patel, the project initiator and founder of RCL, said: “The interest and involvement of Access Infra Africa in this project validates my long held belief that Rwanda is a viable investment destination”. The composting plant will be located on an eight hectare site granted by the City of Kigali to RCL. The site is adjacent to the Nduba landfill and currently receives the solid waste of Kigali. Fidele Ndayisaba, Mayor of the City of Kigali, expressed hope in the investment. “We look forward to seeing its added value to our city’s cleanliness and agricultural productivity in Rwanda,” he said. Besides the composting plant, RCL will look into the feasibility of setting up a waste to energy or biogas power generation plant, according to the statement. Reda El Chaar, Managing Director of Access, said the acquisition of the 70 per cent stake had been agreed in light of their firm belief in the socio-economic feasibility of the project and in Rwanda as one of the most attractive investment destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. “This project will not only introduce a sustainable mechanism for managing solid wastes in one of the most densely populated countries but will also have far reaching economic benefits for the agricultural sector of Rwanda” El Chaar added. The two companies will now embark on completing the techno-commercial studies, finalising the enabling contractual framework and seeking non-recourse project finance for the project, the joint statement read in part. Kigali produces an estimated 350MT of municipal waste daily or 127,750MT annually. Experts say this poses a challenge to the city as the use of landfills to dispose municipal waste is not sustainable. The recycling of the municipal waste to organic fertilisers is one way of extending the lifespan of the existing landfills. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Tony Nsanganira, says investing in composting enhances agriculture production. “The Ministry does support the establishment of the composting plant as well as it is concerned,” Nsanganira is quoted in a statement as saying.
