Mysol project builds resilience for Kamonyi District’s residents through accessible solar energy  

By Elias Hakizimana.

Some of the residents from Runda Sector, Kamonyi District testify how the solar power has transformed their livelihoods, thanks to Mysol project that helped them to have such accessible infrastructure.

The citizens say that they were living a poor life in darkness and could miss out some services like hairdressing or visual information but, they have now a hairdressing saloon near their households, and some can watch news on Television.

Jean Bosco Munyakazi, one of the residents from Bukimba Village, Gihara Cell, Runda Sector says that he manages to watch everything as news circulating over the globe on his Television, while sitting at home after accomplishing some domestic activities.

Munyakazi is currently a farmer, growing bananas and other variety of crops. He lauds the efforts by Mysol Project that helped him and other neighbours to get this facility, as the area has not yet benefited from the general on-grid power connection from Rwanda Energy Group (REG).

“Before getting this solar power from Mysol, I had a Television that used a rechargeable battery, and I could suffer a lot carrying it to Kigali to get it charged. I could take risk and make such a long journey to get power because I like football match when it is broadcasted on TV. Let me say, indeed, that this facility came on time. I was happy and now I light everywhere including in the banana plantation,” Munyakazi says with smile.

His wife Consolate Nyirahategekimana says that this electricity transformed their lives from dark to happiness.

“Before getting Mysol, we used to be in bed at 7.00 pm, we could use a lamp torch to light and we could be scared to go outside because of darkness, now we are safe and happy because everything became well,” She notes.

The majority of citizens from Bukimba Village say that they have waited over the year for having their homes connected with the on-grid power but in vain, having only the poles into the soil. However, they still have hope that they will get connected despite lack of official information.

They use the solar power and pay in three installments.

Jean de Dieu Niyomugabo, a young man who is now a hairdresser, says that he could not understand how it can be possible to have such a development soon after buying the solar power with Mysol.

“I have no other occupation than hairdressing, I get money and use part of it to pay back the solar power as I have to pay it in three installments, and I save the remaining amount,” he says.  

He says that a citizen could make a journey of up to two hours to get to the hairdressing saloon, but he is now giving them services near them.

Louis Rwagaju, Head of Marketing at Mysol, through ENGIE Energy Access, explains that Mysol initiative operates nationwide with the aim to supplement the country’s efforts to electrify every household by 2024.

He says that everyone who has a house, from a single room to big buildings can have Mysol solar power at very affordable cost.

“We have capacity to supply affordable and efficient solar power on Rwanda’s energy market, we can serve people with big commercial projects and companies who want to light their buildings and compounds,” he says.

ENGIE Energy Access has Mysol Project on Rwanda’s market since 2014, connecting over 300,000 citizens 600 households and 400 school institutions countrywide.

73 percent of Rwandans have access to electricity, of whom 50 percent use broadband, and the rest (23 percent) rely on other sources of energy, including solar.

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