Rwanda: African Development Bank kickstarts pioneering cable car project in Kigali
The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a grant of $500,000 to undertake a feasibility study into the first phase of a cable car transport network in Kigali, that will be sub-Saharan Africa's first aerial urban transit system.
The funds, to be sourced from the Bank Group's Urban and Municipal Development Fund (https://apo-opa.co/45CiDm9), are expected to help pave the way for the Kigali Urban Cable Car Project, a 5.5 km mobility initiative valued at $100 million and promising to ease the city's traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and connect underserved communities to jobs and essential services.
The Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) is a trust fund hosted by the African Development Bank, which provides direct support to cities, to mobilize funding and technical assistance, develop partnerships, city engagement, project identification and investment.
Phase 1 of the project will comprise two critical transit corridors: Nyabugogo Taxi Park to the Central Business District (CBD) Hub; and the Kigali Convention Center to Kigali Sports City, connecting public landmarks such as Amahoro Stadium, BK Arena, and the newly developed Zaria Court.
The feasibility study is expected to position the project to attract international investment, including through platforms such as the Africa Investment Forum (AIF). The UMDF provided funding for the feasibility of another project in the country, the Kigali Urban Transport Improvement project, to help attract critical investment.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, with commissioning scheduled for 2028. Once complete, the cable car will convey over 50,000 passengers a day on a 15-minute end-to-end journey, integrating into the city's existing transport infrastructure.
African Development Bank Group president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said: 'This transformative project aligns perfectly with the Bank's vision for sustainable, green climate-resilient urban mobility infrastructure, and with the Bank's Ten-Year Strategy, which focuses on urbanization, and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), a global partnership initiative driven by the African Development Bank Group, Africa50 and the African Union. By financing Rwanda's urban cable car system, we are investing in a scalable model of low-carbon, inclusive public transport that cities across Africa can emulate.'
The project is anchored in Rwanda's Green Taxonomy, E-mobility Strategy, and Climate and Nature Finance Strategy (CNFS) and aligns closely with Rwanda's national climate objectives, which target a 38% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
The project implementation is expected to follow a Public-Private Partnership model, according to Imena Munyampenda, the Director General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency.
The feasibility study plans to draw lessons from successful cable car systems in La Paz, Bolivia, and Singapore. The system will prioritize access for the disabled, employment opportunities for girls, women and low-income residents; and job creation, capacity building and technology transfer.
'This pioneering feasibility study is a game-changing milestone,' said Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank's Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization. 'Through the UMDF, AfDB is laying the foundation for an investment-ready green infrastructure asset that offers both impact and returns.'
Blended Financing
The $100 million funding structure will comprise a strategic mix of grants, concessional loans, blended finance, and technical assistance. The UMDF grant will fund an assessment of the project's viability gap.
The Rwandan government, the African Development Bank Group, and other development partners, will collaborate to offer blended financing, along with commercial funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Africa50, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), as well as private investors and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
12 hours ago
- The National
DRC and Rwanda sign 'Washington Accord' peace deal
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington on Friday, ending three decades of conflict and ushering in billions in foreign investment to the region. President Donald Trump, flanked by his Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the foreign ministers of the two countries signed the agreement in the Oval Office. "They were fighting for years, and it was machetes, it was vicious, people's heads were being chopped off," Mr Trump said at a news conference earlier on Friday. "And I have a man who's very good in that part of the world, very smart, and put them together," he said. "First time in many years, they're going to have peace. And it's a big deal." Mr Trump had enlisted the help of Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and the father-in-law of the President's daughter Tiffany. Qatar also joined in mediating the process. Born in Lebanon, Mr Boulos has ties to Africa, having lived and owned businesses in Nigeria. Last month, Mr Boulos said the DRC and Rwanda had submitted a draft peace proposal. Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr Boulos said he had first engaged with the two sides in early April, and the final agreement will be known as the Washington Accord. "There's an economic aspect as well that is extremely important for both countries," Mr Boulos said. "There would be some bilateral agreements with negotiating a mineral deal with the DRC for critical minerals - many American companies have shown interest in investing in the DRC," he said. "Same thing with Rwanda. " The agreement would bring to an end a three-decade conflict in the eastern DRC which escalated earlier this year, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. A draft of the agreement provided by the state Department includes the disengagement of Rwandan forces and the voluntary repatriation of refugees. It also called for the monthly rotating meetings between DRC and Rwanda, with the US and Qatar attending as observers. Another joint meeting was to be held in Washington within 45 days. The fighting has killed about 3,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. The DRC, United Nations and the US have long accused Rwanda of providing weapons and training to the M23 rebels. Rwanda denies supporting M23, and says its forces are acting in self-defence against the Congolese army and Hutu militias linked to the Rwandan genocide of ethnic Tutsis in 1994. The conflict is fuelled by the rich mineral resources in eastern Congo. The DRC is the world's largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. The country also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves. M23 and Rwanda are accused of exploiting these resources. On Thursday, Reuters reported that the DRC had dropped its demand for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, paving the way for the peace deal. Physicians for human rights, an organisation that has worked in the DRC for more than a decade, said the agreement does not ensure that hostilities would not resume through proxy armed groups, and has no reparations component. "We welcome any dialogue and de-escalation in the devastating conflict in eastern DRC, but it is important to note that the new agreement between Rwanda and DRC contains major omissions and does not adequately safeguard civilians in the region," Sam Zarifi, executive director said in a statement on Friday. "There can be no durable peace without meaningful justice. But the agreement signed today sidelines human rights and fails survivors," he said. The economic incentives involved remain unclear as Mr Trump seeks to compete with China in investing in the region's abundant mineral wealth. Mr Trump said it included the US getting "mineral rights" from the Congo. The draft agreement said it would shut down 'illicit economic pathways' and instead "formalise and audit" cross-border mineral trade.
The National
16 hours ago
- The National
DRC and Rwanda to sign peace deal in Washington
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are set to sign a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington on Friday, ending years of conflict and ushering in billions in foreign investment to the region. President Donald Trump will host the foreign ministers of the two countries in the Oval Office after the official signing in the State Department. "They were fighting for years, and it was machetes, it was vicious, people's heads were being chopped off," Mr Trump said in a news conference on Friday. "And I have a man who's very good in that part of the world, very smart, and put them together," he said. "First time in many years, they're going to have peace. And it's a big deal." Mr Trump had enlisted the help of Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and the father-in-law of the President's daughter Tiffany. Qatar also joined in mediating the process. Born in Lebanon, Mr Boulos has ties to Africa, having lived and owned businesses in Nigeria. Last month, Mr Boulos said Congo and Rwanda had submitted a draft peace proposal. The agreement would bring to an end a three-decade conflict in eastern Congo which escalated earlier this year, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. The fighting has killed about 3,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. The DRC, United Nations and the US have long accused Rwanda of providing M23 rebels weapons and training. Rwanda has long denied supporting M23, and says its forces are acting in self-defence against Congo's army and Hutu militias linked to the Rwandan genocide of ethnic Tutsis in 1994. The conflict is fuelled by the rich mineral resources in eastern Congo. Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. The country also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves. M23 and Rwanda being accused of exploiting these resources. On Thursday, Reuters reported that the DRC had dropped its demand for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, paving the way for the peace deal. Few details have been made available about the deal, or the economic incentives involved, as Mr Trump seeks to compete with China in investing in the region's abundant mineral wealth.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
Rwanda: African Development Bank kickstarts pioneering cable car project in Kigali
The African Development Bank ( has approved a grant of $500,000 to undertake a feasibility study into the first phase of a cable car transport network in Kigali, that will be sub-Saharan Africa's first aerial urban transit system. The funds, to be sourced from the Bank Group's Urban and Municipal Development Fund ( are expected to help pave the way for the Kigali Urban Cable Car Project, a 5.5 km mobility initiative valued at $100 million and promising to ease the city's traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and connect underserved communities to jobs and essential services. The Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) is a trust fund hosted by the African Development Bank, which provides direct support to cities, to mobilize funding and technical assistance, develop partnerships, city engagement, project identification and investment. Phase 1 of the project will comprise two critical transit corridors: Nyabugogo Taxi Park to the Central Business District (CBD) Hub; and the Kigali Convention Center to Kigali Sports City, connecting public landmarks such as Amahoro Stadium, BK Arena, and the newly developed Zaria Court. The feasibility study is expected to position the project to attract international investment, including through platforms such as the Africa Investment Forum (AIF). The UMDF provided funding for the feasibility of another project in the country, the Kigali Urban Transport Improvement project, to help attract critical investment. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026, with commissioning scheduled for 2028. Once complete, the cable car will convey over 50,000 passengers a day on a 15-minute end-to-end journey, integrating into the city's existing transport infrastructure. African Development Bank Group president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said: 'This transformative project aligns perfectly with the Bank's vision for sustainable, green climate-resilient urban mobility infrastructure, and with the Bank's Ten-Year Strategy, which focuses on urbanization, and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA), a global partnership initiative driven by the African Development Bank Group, Africa50 and the African Union. By financing Rwanda's urban cable car system, we are investing in a scalable model of low-carbon, inclusive public transport that cities across Africa can emulate.' The project is anchored in Rwanda's Green Taxonomy, E-mobility Strategy, and Climate and Nature Finance Strategy (CNFS) and aligns closely with Rwanda's national climate objectives, which target a 38% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The project implementation is expected to follow a Public-Private Partnership model, according to Imena Munyampenda, the Director General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency. The feasibility study plans to draw lessons from successful cable car systems in La Paz, Bolivia, and Singapore. The system will prioritize access for the disabled, employment opportunities for girls, women and low-income residents; and job creation, capacity building and technology transfer. 'This pioneering feasibility study is a game-changing milestone,' said Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank's Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization. 'Through the UMDF, AfDB is laying the foundation for an investment-ready green infrastructure asset that offers both impact and returns.' Blended Financing The $100 million funding structure will comprise a strategic mix of grants, concessional loans, blended finance, and technical assistance. The UMDF grant will fund an assessment of the project's viability gap. The Rwandan government, the African Development Bank Group, and other development partners, will collaborate to offer blended financing, along with commercial funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Africa50, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), as well as private investors and the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa (AGIA). Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
