As he briefed the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently, the Director General of the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Telesphore Ndabamenye, explained that the projects, which will irrigate up to 4,000 hectares of land, include Mpanga, Mahama I, and Mahama II.
Ndabamenye highlighted that the Mpanga project, which has an $18 million budget, will irrigate 650 hectares. However, its implementation has been delayed due to the lack of electricity necessary to operate the water pumps that will draw water from the Akagera River.
'The engines needed to initiate the trials are expected to arrive in August, with operations scheduled to commence in October 2025,' he noted.
The Mahama I project, which will irrigate 1,225 hectares at a cost of $27 million, and Mahama II, covering 1,900 hectares at a cost of $32 million, are both expected to be completed by December 2025.
Ndabamenye explained that the variation in project costs is due to factors such as the size of the land to be irrigated, the nature of the soil, and the power requirements for water pumping.
In addition to these projects, Rwanda is also pursuing two other major initiatives. One, funded by the World Bank, is the CDAT project, which will irrigate 11,000 hectares and is expected to be completed by 2027.
The other, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is KIIWP2, which will cover 2,200 hectares and is scheduled for completion by 2028.
To achieve its goal of irrigating 500,000 hectares of land to combat climate change, Rwanda will require substantial investment and swift implementation of these projects.
Funding for these initiatives has been provided through loans from the Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank), as well as other domestic financing sources.
These irrigation projects are expected to boost Rwanda's irrigated land area from the current 70,000 hectares to 130,000 hectares by 2029, supporting sustainable agricultural growth and enhancing food security.
IGIHE
