On Monday, President Kagame arrived in Riyadh, where he began his visit with a bilateral meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of the 9th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Rwanda and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have launched a joint clean cooking initiative designed to reduce reliance on traditional biomass fuels and improve household health outcomes.
The program, a collaboration between the Government of Rwanda and Forward7, an initiative under the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), seeks to provide 50,000 affordable Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) kits to Rwandan households over the next 18 months.
The project is being implemented by Bboxx, a Rwanda-based clean energy solutions company, and will initially benefit families in Kigali, Musanze, Muhanga, Rwamagana, and Huye districts, according to joint statement issued Wednesday.
President Paul Kagame was in Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday for the Future Investment Initiative (FII) attended by global policy and business leaders.
On Monday, President Kagame held bilateral meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Their discussions highlighted the continued strengthening of Rwanda– Kingdom of Saudi Arabia cooperation across priority sectors, reporter Village Urugwiro.
According to Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure, biomass—mainly wood fuel—accounts for the majority of the country’s total energy consumption.
The new initiative aims to significantly reduce this dependence by offering modern, cleaner cooking alternatives.
Each LPG kit distributed under the program includes a two-burner stove, a 12-kilogram gas cylinder, and a smart valve with a pay-as-you-go option.
Currently, at least 160,000 households use cooking gas, which is above 4.6 % of all the household nationally.
It means by the end of next year, the new households that will get the gas kit, will significantly reduce on those using charcoal, which is the major method, and firewood.
Buying gas stove goes for as much as Rwf 150,000 ($120) and filling 12Kg gas cylinder is currently Rwf 22,000, and it can last up to two months.
The Rwanda-Saudi project primarily targets low-income households that have not yet received any clean cooking subsidies.
Officials say the initiative will not only help families switch to safer, more efficient cooking methods but will also contribute to mitigating indoor air pollution, improving health outcomes, and advancing economic development for low-income communities.
The program is also structured to generate carbon credits, with proceeds reinvested into expanding clean cooking initiatives and strengthening Rwanda’s long-term commitment to a carbon-neutral and climate-resilient future.
Launched in February 2025 in Kigali, the project has since expanded to Rwamagana and Musanze, with plans to reach the remaining districts within a year.
So far, over 6,000 households have gained access to clean cooking solutions.
Bboxx will continue to carry out community awareness campaigns to educate households about eligibility and the benefits of clean cooking technology.
