In anticipation of population growth in the Rwandan capital Kigali, the authorities want to implement an intelligent waste management system. The Rwandan government is looking for a company to implement this system by December 2020.
While the city of Kigali is experiencing rapid population growth, one of the urgent needs of the Rwandan government is to improve waste management, especially in the capital. In Kigali, the authorities want to implement an intelligent waste management system. Thus, as part of a partnership with Smart Africa Secretariat, an organization of the African Union, the Rwandan Ministry of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and Innovation is looking for a company to set up an intelligent waste management system.
In agreement with the municipality of Kigali, the government intends to sign a contract with the selected company to implement its intelligent waste management solution by December 2020. The system, whose pilot phase will cost $100,000, will collect, transport, treat, recycle and dispose of waste.
The pilot project in Kigali markets
In concrete terms, the company chosen by the authorities will set up intelligent garbage cans with a real-time monitoring system, which will use sensor technology to alert collectors to waste fill levels. The system will also operate with closed-circuit cameras and a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the security of the waste collection facilities.
All information will be transmitted to a dashboard for analysis and display. Waste collected in the field will then be transferred to solar-powered treatment centres. The pilot project will enable the installation of waste collection stations in 10 markets spread among the three districts of the Rwandan capital. The next challenge will be to extend the system to households in the city of Kigali.
With this system, the Rwandan government and Smart Africa Secretariat hope to sustainably improve waste management in Kigali. With an estimated population of more than 923,000 in 2002, the city is currently home to more than 1.6 million people. This population could double in this third decade of the 21st century. Yet, despite the efforts of the Rwandan authorities, only 36% of city dwellers are served by waste collection services, according to the environmental assessment report for 2018.
The implementation of an intelligent waste management system accompanies other initiatives implemented by the authorities to clean up the country. A few months ago, for example, the Rwandan government decided to equip each district with an e-waste collection point.
Jean Marie Takouleu
