External publications

Scaling a cost-efficient green building industry in Rwanda

Dutta, Mala / Peter Katanisa / Babette Never / Alexander Stoecker / Aime Tsinda / Mycline Umuhoza
External Publications (2026)

Kigali: Equilibria Ltd/University of Rwanda / IDOS https://www.equilibria.rw/single-policy-brief.php?id=1 https://www.equilibria.rw/uploads/IDOS_UoR_Equilibria_Policy_Brief_Scaling_a_Cost-Efficient_Green_Building_Industry_in_Rwanda.pdf

Volltext/Full text

Rwanda needs about 150,000 new housing units every year through 2050. At the same time, the country has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 and, under its Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0, to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 53% below business as usual by 2035. Construction sits at the centre of both goals. It also has to create decent jobs for a young and growing workforce.A new policy brief by the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the University of Rwanda and Equilibria Ltd looks at how construction firms in Rwanda can become both greener and more productive. It draws on surveys of 546 firms in Kigali (2023 to 2025) and 308 firms in Kicukiro and Kamonyi (2026), 88 interviews, and focus group discussions with masons and electricians. The brief sets out seven recommendations for government, the private sector and development partners. They are to align green criteria across instruments, set clear steps for applying them, open green finance to small firms, invest in testing and demonstration of local materials, use public procurement to create steady demand, link large contractors with smaller firms, and close priority skills gaps as part of a wider support package.

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