Maintenance of Hydropower Potential in Rwanda Through Ecosystem Restoration

OVERVIEW In Rwanda, hydroelectric power production is widely recognized as having a significant role to play in achieving its economic development and poverty reduction goals. The “Land of a Thousand Hills,” with its numerous rivers and lakes, is highly suited to the establishment of hydropower to meet the growing demand for electricity from its expanding population, industries/factories in urban areas and rural agro-processing investments. Only 10 to 11 percent of households in Rwanda presently have access to electricity—and 60 percent of these households are located in the capital of Kigali. Rwanda’s 2011-2017 Energy Policy and Strategy sets a target of ensuring 50 percent of households have access to electricity by 2017, which would amount to a five-fold increase in energy demand in seven years (MINIFRA, 2010a).