More electric vehicle charging stations have been set up to increase uptake of environment friendly transport services that are needed to reduce air pollution levels in the country.

Currently, the majority of Rwandans not only own fuel cars but also prefer second hand imported cars due to affordability yet they are not environmentally friendly.

Last week, Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda, launched a charging station at Kigali Convention Centre, a week after Vivo Energy Rwanda and Greenleaf AutoFast launched a charging station for Plug in Hybrid Electric vehicles at Kanogo.

This follows the launch of the electric vehicle pilot project- the e-Golf in 2019, with 20 e-Golfs and two charging stations. Volkswagen wants to make the e-Golf pilot project in Rwanda a blueprint for electric mobility in Africa.

“Rwanda has prioritized sustainable transportation because of the benefits it brings for our health, the environment, job creation and innovation,” said Dr Jean d’Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda’s Minister of Environment during the launch of the charging station on March 2021.

The 2018 Inventory of Sources of Air Pollution in Rwanda showed that vehicle emissions are the leading cause of air pollution in Kigali and other urban areas. “The case for change is clear. Now is the time to move from fossil fuels to clean energy to power Rwanda for the rest of the 21st Century and beyond.  

Doing so will not only reduce air pollution, but has the potential to create thousands of well-paying jobs in the e-mobility value chain - from charging station mechanics to drivers and battery recycling technicians,” Ms Mujawamariya said, adding that Rwanda developed a new Environment and Climate Change Policy that calls for the transition to sustainable mobility.

Currently, fuel products remain the largest single import product category into Rwanda, accounting for over 12 percent of all imported goods.