Volkswagen has reached an agreement with the Rwandan government to set up a modern farm using electric tractors.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Serge Kamuhinda, CEO of Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda, and Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of Volkswagen South Africa, in the presence of Imelda Labbé, member of Volkswagen’s Brand Board of Management for Marketing, Sales, and After Sales.
The Government of Rwanda has committed to give land in Gashora (Bugesera District) for the project as part of the MoU, as well as to assist with the project’s permitting and licensing needs.
The Rwandan GenFarm Project aims to have a beneficial long-term socioeconomic and environmental impact on the community by establishing a carbon-neutral business ecosystem.
The GenFarm Project is a comprehensive ecosystem of e-powered automated farming services for African rural areas that are dependable, sustainable, and ecologically benign. The excess energy generated by charging the electric tractors will be used to power post-harvest handling and storage.
Volkswagen Group Innovation is leading the Rwanda pilot project in collaboration with Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda.
“The signing of the MoU with the Government of Rwanda marks yet another milestone for Volkswagen’s sustainable mobility lighthouse projects in Rwanda. Our long-term plan is to build up demand for electric batteries in Africa by introducing locally relevant business solutions. The future of mobility in Africa will also be determined by the storage and distribution of green energy. With the GenFarm, we hope to address the mobility needs of customers with high transformational impact on the African economy,” said Martina Biene.
