NBI, Rusumo Power Company Sign MoU for Sustainable Operations through enhanced river flow monitoring and forecasting

KAMPALA, Uganda – The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), on behalf of national water institutions in Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rusumo Power Company Ltd. to strengthen the sustainability and optimisation of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project, a flagship transboundary investment supplying clean energy to nearly one million people across the three countries.

NBI signed the MoU on behalf of the Geographic Institute of Burundi (IGEBU), the Rwanda Water Resources Board and the Lake Victoria Basin Water Board of Tanzania to achieve the sustainability and optimisation through enhanced hydrological monitoring, which includes the generation of real-time and forecast data and information on river levels and flows, lake levels, and water quality.

Speaking at the signing, NBI Executive Director Dr Eng. Nestor NIYONZIMA said:
“We have taken a fundamental step today on behalf of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania — the countries that jointly own and run the Rusumo Power Company Ltd — to revitalize a project that was established through the joint efforts of our 10 Member States to promote cooperative socio-economic investments on the Nile River for shared prosperity.

“This MoU will help address three major challenges facing the power plant: inadequate hydrological data and information for optimal planning, forecasting and management of power generation; a heavy sediment load caused by soil erosion; and the invasive water hyacinth, of which approximately 15 tons reach the power plant every day.”

The MoU also provides for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of six regional hydrological monitoring stations that NBI established in collaboration with the three countries and the power company in the Rusumo area — along the Ruvubu River (Burundi), Ruvuvu River (Tanzania), Akagera River (Rwanda) and Kagera River (Tanzania).

In addition, the agreement covers data and information-sharing arrangements among the three countries through a dedicated web-based application that NBI has developed in collaboration with the three Member States and the Rusumo Power Company Ltd.

As a result, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania will generate and share continuous, timely, high-quality and reliable hydrological data and information to directly inform planning and operational decisions at the power plant. Improved hydrological monitoring will also contribute to long-term solutions to sedimentation and the water hyacinth, alongside the nature-based remedies across the catchment.

Mr. Augustin Ngenzirabona, Director General of IGEBU and Chairperson of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee, said: “Rusumo is a symbol of cooperation in action, a representation of mutual benefit, shared prosperity and regional integration. It is vital that we keep the turbines running and protect this joint investment through a well-managed catchment.”

Under the MoU, Rusumo Power Company Ltd. and the three countries will jointly contribute funding to cover the costs of operation, maintenance, and other obligations.

NBI hopes the initiative will serve as a model for other river basins, demonstrating the value of cooperative operations, shared information systems, and sustainable financing for transboundary infrastructure.

The six hydrological monitoring stations in the MoU are part of the Nile Basin Regional Hydrological Monitoring System that NBI established in collaboration with its Member States with the support of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and European Union (EU) through GIZ. GIZ continues to support the regional system along with NBI’s work for coordination of cascade dams in the Nile Basin and the Nile River Basin Investment Programme.

Rusumo Power Company Limited, a company jointly owned by Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania to manage and operate the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Plant, delivering an 80 MW equally shared to Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania within the transboundary cooperation.

Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a regional partnership of 10 Member States. It seeks to develop the Nile River cooperatively, share substantial socio-economic benefits, and promote regional peace and security. NBI provides a neutral platform for cooperation in line with a Shared Vision Objective that the 10 countries adopted at NBI’s establishment in 1999.

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