Panorama Reporter
While electricity access in Ngoma District currently stands at 79.6%, officials from the Rwanda Energy Group (REG), Ngoma branch, have reassured residents still without electricity that they too will soon benefit, thanks to several ongoing projects.
Jean Paul Kabare, the REG Branch Manager in Ngoma, said the target is to achieve 100% electricity access in the district by 2029.
“We have several electrification projects. In the first phase, we started with eight sectors, where in the next 18 months, we will connect more than 22,000 households. By July 2026, all these homes should be connected,” he explained.
He added that the program will continue beyond 2026: “Another project will provide electricity to 14,518 households. This includes more than 10,047 households located in newly established settlement villages that currently have no electricity, as well as 4,471 homes in existing villages that were left unconnected.”
Kabare assured residents who remain without electricity that they have not been forgotten:
“We will not stop here. Our work will continue until 100% of households—especially those in designated settlement areas—are connected.”
Residents in areas that already have electricity say their lives have been transformed. They appreciate REG’s efforts to extend services even to remote rural communities where they never thought power would reach.
Mukakayange Jeannette, a resident of Rukira Sector, Kibatsi Cell, Gahushi Village, shared her experience:
“Before electricity, we lived in isolation and had no way to improve ourselves. After getting connected to electricity, we bought a milling machine. Now we grind flour for porridge and ugali to share with the community. This project has helped us renovate our house, buy a motorcycle, acquire farmland, and pay school fees for our children without difficulty.”
Another resident, Nsabimana Alphonse from Kibatsi Cell, said “Before electricity, we were in total darkness. Some people used burning straw to light their homes. But after power arrived, things changed. We can light our houses, we started barber shops and milling businesses, and even those in our families who are not yet connected are waiting with hope. We thank REG for showing that the other residents without electricity will soon benefit.”
According to REG statistics, as of July 2025, electricity access across Rwanda has reached 84.6%.
