Renewable Energy: Cross border power project lighting up hope across three countries

“It was raining, they thought about getting a local herb to ease the pain, but nothing worked,” she recalls. Vestina’s elder sister called a neighbour who owns a motorbike. Braving the muddy paths of Rusumo village, they managed to get her to the hospital at around 1 a.m.

As they approached the hospital, glimmers of light shone in the distance. Piercing through the blanket of darkness, with torrents of rain occasionally blocking her sight, Vestina saw hope—shining bright ahead. At the Rusumo Health Centre, she was processed and admitted to the female ward.

Four days later, we met her at the pharmacy section of the facility. An IV line still hung from her left hand, while her right hand held a box of assorted medication. Her hospital book was tucked under her left armpit. “I am waiting for the nurse to give me a referral letter. I need to get a scan at the general hospital. But the pain is gone—I can walk straight,” she said, a smile plastered on her face.

Vestina is among the 1,200 residents of Rusumo village, located on the Tanzania–Rwanda border, who have benefited from the establishment of a health centre in the village. The Rusumo Health Centre is one of eight facilities set up by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Plan through the Local Area Development Plan.

Equipped with a theatre, maternity wing, pharmacy, and laboratory, the facility is a lifeline for thousands of residents who previously had to trek more than 35 kilometres to the Murgwanza Hospital in Ngara.

Connection to the National Grid

On the right side of the facility, the sharp cries of babies pierce the air. A queue of mothers, each clutching a child, waits for routine vaccinations. The 24-hour electricity supply not only keeps the cold storage facility operational but also provides a ray of hope in reducing infant and maternal mortality rates.

“We have 54 beds in the maternity wing. Midwives are on standby, making us the only facility that can offer emergency maternal services to women in urgent need,” says Dr. Prisca Temba, the officer in charge at Rusumo Health Centre.

Rosy Fahari says she delivered her fourth child at the facility. Her previous deliveries took place at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant, as she couldn’t afford the TZS 6,000 (about KES 300) fare to the nearest general hospital.

“When Rusumo Health Centre was opened, I visited it for prenatal check-ups and decided to deliver here.”

Her son, now two years old, accompanied her on a visit to a neighbour who underwent a caesarean section at the facility a day earlier.

Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project

Tanzania is one of the three countries benefiting from the Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project—a cross-border initiative that is lighting up homes and hope across Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

With an installed capacity of 80 megawatts, the project has not only lowered the cost of power across the three countries but also represents a renewable energy source helping nations transition from fossil fuels. Burundi, for instance, shut down an oil-fired power station and now receives 27 megawatts from the Rusumo project.

Located about two kilometres downstream from the intersection of Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi, the turbines roar as they channel water from a 35-metre drop through tunnels to three power-generating units.

The power station was built at a cost of USD 340 million, funded by the World Bank. The African Development Bank Group provided an additional USD 128 million for the development of 372 kilometres of transmission lines to distribute electricity across Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi. The 80-megawatt capacity is shared equally among the three countries, enhancing grid stability and advancing the shift to renewable energy.

Funding from Within

Despite Africa's abundant renewable energy potential—solar, hydro, and wind—significant barriers persist. Global investment has shifted towards more developed markets.

“The economics around renewable energy projects are tight. When you raise capital, it becomes very expensive, particularly in Africa where the cost of capital can be twice as high as in North America or Europe,” said João Cunha, head of the African Development Bank’s renewable energy division.

Dr. Isaac Alukwe, regional coordinator for NELSAP-CU, advocates for Africa to raise internal resources for major projects. “As Africa, we need to change our strategy and stop relying on donors. We have plenty of raw materials and waste a lot on non-priority areas. If we manage our resources better and invest in impactful projects, we will achieve great progress,” he said.

Water Hyacinth: Threat and Opportunity

Along the Kagera River, patches of water hyacinth float into view—five in less than two minutes. These drifting mats silently choke the power plant, occasionally forcing a scale-down of generation by up to 5 megawatts per day. Patrick Lwesya, the plant manager at Rusumo Power Station, noted that the invasive weed often clogs intake chambers, reducing water flow. “We manually harvest an average of 10 to 15 tonnes of hyacinth daily. During removal, we coordinate with the power station to reduce generation,” he explained.

Floating booms will soon be installed along the river to prevent the weed from reaching intake points. Once collected, plans are underway to repurpose the hyacinth. “We’re in talks with a group to explore making animal feed and organic fertilizer from the hyacinth,” said Lwesya.

Environmental scientist Dominic Kahumbu, based in Kenya, has long advocated for the use of organic fertilizer in river and lake catchment areas to reduce nutrient pollution. He notes that while invasive, water hyacinth is also a powerful water filter that should be managed—not eradicated. “It keeps the water clean. If we find sustainable ways to manage it rather than demonize it, we can achieve a win-win situation.”

A Beacon of Transformation