BioMassters CEO Claudia Muench and guests at the event in a group photo with some of the beneficiaries
BioMassters, a Rwandan clean-cooking company, has begun distributing free cookstoves and biomass fuel to 1,280 households in Kigali as it seeks to expand the use of cleaner alternatives to charcoal.
The company launched the programme on September 23 in Busanza Model Village in Kicukiro District, where 450 households received clean-burning cookstoves and more than 9,000 kilograms of biomass pellets.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) and the City of Kigali.
Each household receives a Tier-4 gasifier cookstove and 20 kilograms of pellets at no cost. Recipients are also trained to use the stoves.
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BioMassters says the programme is designed to demonstrate that households can move away from charcoal without significantly increasing their cooking costs.
Many residents in the targeted model villages live in densely built housing, where smoke from traditional cooking methods can accumulate inside homes.
Beneficiaries and local community admire the latest affordable cooking technology
Beatha Mukarutesi, a Busanza resident who received a stove, said her household previously spent about Rwf32,000 a month on charcoal.
She bought two bags each month at Rwf16,000 per bag.
“With Rwf8,000 worth of these pellets, I could cook properly for the whole month,” she said.
Mukarutesi said charcoal also created smoke and dirt inside the house, requiring frequent cleaning and repainting.
Another beneficiary, Antoinette Mushimiyimana, said charcoal left ash around the cooking area and created additional cleaning work.
She said the new stove heats quickly and produces no visible smoke.
Bio-mass fuel for the efficient stoves
The technology behind the stoves is based on gasification. BioMassters CEO Claudia Muench said the process converts biomass into gas, allowing the fuel to burn with little smoke.
“In general, by using pellets and our cookstoves, you can save 90% of the wood compared with the amount of wood required to produce charcoal for the same cooking energy,” Muench said.
BioMassters CEO Claudia Muench speaks at the initiative launch
BioMassters produces its pellets from biomass, including sawdust, and sells them as an alternative to charcoal.
The company says the fuel can reduce household spending on cooking energy by almost half compared with charcoal.
A BioMassters stove normally costs Rwf65,000, while a kilogram of pellets costs Rwf430.
The company was established in 2020 after its founders identified the environmental and health problems associated with traditional cooking methods.
It began as a small operation and has since expanded its production and distribution of biomass fuel and clean cookstoves in Kigali.
BioMassters says about 8,500 people in different parts of Kigali are already using its cookstoves.
The latest programme will distribute 1,280 stoves and 25,600 kilograms of pellets between September 23 and November 4. The total value of the equipment and fuel is estimated at Rwf94.2 million.
After Busanza, BioMassters plans to extend the initiative to Mpazi, Karama and Rugendabari model villages in Nyarugenge District, and Ayabaraya Model Village in Kicukiro.
The company says the initiative is part of its broader effort to replace charcoal with cleaner and more affordable cooking technology while reducing pressure on Rwanda’s forests.
Jean Pierre Hitimana, RHA official, said the technology could be particularly useful in model villages where homes are built close together.
“When you use traditional stoves that produce smoke, it affects people inside the house and can also create problems within the home,” he said.
BioMassters says it has been producing pellets in Kigali for four years and is now the largest producer of biomass pellets in Rwanda.
