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Accelerating e-mobility in Rwanda

We support the mitigation of climate change impact by supporting the creation of an enabling regulatory and financial environment to accelerate the transition to e-mobility.

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Accelerating e-mobility in Rwanda

Years active:

2021 - present

Related ICLEI Pathway(s)

Locations

Kigali, Rwanda

Funded by

The Mitigation Action Facility. The Mitigation Action Facility is a joint initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (KEFM), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the European Union and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
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About

Project summary

The Government of Rwanda is undertaking a transformative project titled “Accelerating the Deployment of E-Motos in Rwanda,” implemented by the Rwanda Green Fund (RGF) and the Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) and funded by the Mitigation Action Facility (MAF). Leveraging the MAF grant of EUR 16.8 million with estimated finance mobilisation of EUR 196 million, the project aims for large-scale adoption of e-motos, reducing GHG emissions while also delivering development co-benefits. It employs proven global finance techniques and credit enhancements to increase finance for the supply and demand of electric motorcycles (e-motos) and also aims to deliver co-benefits including job creation, higher-incomes, and women empowerment.

The RGF will host the E-Moto Technical Hub and implement the E-Moto Rebate Scheme to advance e-moto adoption. BRD will provide the E-Moto Finance Advisory Service to e-moto companies and asset financiers to unlock EUR 196 million in finance to increase e-moto supply and adoption, also offering the E-Moto Credit Enhancement Facility, a first loss guarantee.  ICLEI Africa will provide technical support for project management and the Global Clearinghouse for Development Finance (GlobalDF) will provide financial advisory and related technical support.

Project interventions

The following e-Moto Project interventions are being implemented: 

  • E-Moto Technical Hub: Cultivates e-moto demand through workshops, stakeholder consultations, provision of information on the E-Moto Portal, the development of enabling environment, and targeted gender and waste management interventions, technical studies, capacity building, and serving as the Secretariat for the Project Steering Committee and E-Moto Partnership Group. 
  • E-Moto Finance Advisory Team and Credit Enhancement Facility (E-CEF): Deploys proven finance solutions through BRD’s E-Moto Finance Advisory Team, including a EUR 8.3 million first-loss guarantee, to  unlock financing for companies that are increasing e-moto supply and adoption through leases and loans.
  • E-Moto Rebate Scheme:  Increases the affordability of e-motos through  EUR 1.4 million in targeted subsidies provided to low-income individuals, with a dedicated focus on increasing women’s participation.
  • E-Moto Partnership Group: Mobilises public and private stakeholders to identify barriers and solutions and build partnerships to increase finance and strengthen policy, gender inclusion, and waste management systems to scale up e-moto supply and adoption.

Project outcomes

The project aims to enable large-scale deployment of e-motos and reduce transport-related GHG emissions by improving access to finance across both supply (batteries and infrastructure) and demand (e-motos), while strengthening an enabling environment that supports responsible, inclusive uptake and delivering co-benefits to low-income individuals, with a focus on women.

Strategic framing

This project operates at the intersection of finance, low-carbon mobility, gender equity and social inclusion, and multilevel governance, demonstrating ICLEI Africa’s role as an impact broker that connects African cities with the tools, partners, and financing mechanisms needed to deliver tangible, scalable change.

ICLEI Africa’s role

As a technical implementing partner, ICLEI Africa provides end-to-end support to the E-Moto Technical Hub and the overall project, focusing on strengthening institutional coordination and governance; delivering technical inputs to market development activities, studies, and partner outputs; procuring and managing specialist expertise (including waste systems and emissions MRV); and ensuring robust monitoring, reporting, and knowledge dissemination. It also provides targeted advisory and capacity building to key stakeholders, supports policy and regulatory alignment through stakeholder engagement, integrates gender and social inclusion across all activities, and contributes to communications and programme scale-up, including the development of a Phase-Out Strategy to sustain project impact.

Project aims

The project is currently in Phase 2 (implementation). 

Project partners

Accelerating e-mobility in Rwanda
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