Power for Food Partnership launches in Rwanda

SNV Rwanda, partners, and government ministries came together in Kigali on 26 November 2025 to formally launch the Power for Food Partnership in Rwanda. The coalition of actors that drives the movement in Rwanda includes Energy Private Developers, Highlands Centre of Leadership for Development (HCL-L4D), Kilimo Trust, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), Peace and Development Network, and Rwanda Climate Change and Development Network (RCCDN). The Partnership will be implemented across six districts: Nyagatare, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Bugesera, Kamonyi, and Gicumbi.

Rwanda's rural communities face a familiar set of interconnected pressures: soil degradation, climate volatility, and limited access to the clean energy needed to power modern, resilient food systems. At the same time, Rwanda has made significant national commitments to green growth, with the initiative directly aligning with Rwanda's Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), and the country's Green Growth Strategy. The Power for Food Partnership builds on these foundations, connecting regenerative agriculture with productive use of renewable energy to drive sustainable, inclusive change from the ground up.

The partners are signing the Power for Food Partnership board during the launch event in Rwanda. — A partner representative signing the Memorandum of Understanding for the Power for Food Partnership at the launch event in Kigali, Rwanda, on 26 November 2025. Photo: Gold Lens

The Power for Food Partnership is about something simple but transformative: connecting food, energy, and climate in a way that's practical and rooted in the realities of rural communities. Rwanda's future lies in an integrated approach that connects energy, food and climate. The Power for Food Partnership brings this vision to life.
Eleanor Hartzell, Country Director, SNV Rwanda

The launch convened more than 100 participants and featured a high-level panel with representatives from the Government, Bank of Kigali, and ARC Power, exploring how energy and agriculture can jointly drive sustainable growth. Stakeholders shared concrete commitments through collaborative Power Circles structured around three pillars: Learn (knowledge and data generation), Link (building partnerships and ecosystems), and Leverage (mobilising policy and finance). This approach reflects the Partnership's ambition to move beyond isolated interventions towards coordinated, systemic change.

The panel discussion during the Rwanda launch event. — A high-level panel at the Power for Food Partnership launch event in Kigali, Rwanda, on 26 November 2025, bringing together representatives from the Government of Rwanda, Bank of Kigali, and ARC Power. Photo: Gold Lens

By aligning agriculture and energy policies, we are ensuring that farmers have access not only to land and water, but also to the clean energy needed for modern, resilient food systems.
Patrick Karangwa (PhD), Director General of Agricultural Modernisation, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda

The group of partners during Power for Food Partnership launch event in Rwanda. — Partners and government representatives gathered on stage to mark the official launch of the Power for Food Partnership in Rwanda, Kigali, 26 November 2025. Photo: Gold Lens

The Partnership in Rwanda is part of a broader movement, coordinated by SNV and supported by the IKEA Foundation, to scale regenerative, renewable-powered agriculture across Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. Read more about the Rwanda launch in KT Press and Panagri Media.