“GenFarm Project”: Volkswagen brings electric tractors to Rwanda

The multifunctional facility under the ‘GenFarm Project’ has kicked off operations, providing electrically powered mechanized farming services for rural areas in Africa. Right now, the focus is on Gashora, Rwanda, about 60km from the capital, Kigali.

The GenFarm Project started in June 2023 as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Volkswagen Group Africa and the Government of Rwanda. It is said that the GenFarm Project will facilitate a “holistic ecosystem of e-powered mechanized farming service for rural areas in Africa that is reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.”

According to reports, the GenFarm Project aims to provide clean energy and business spaces as well as trials of electric tractors and training for the local farmers. To achieve all these, Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda and Volkswagen Group Innovation Centre Europe are determined to build an “Empowerment Hub (e-Hub).”  The e-Hub is anticipated to be launched by the first half of 2025.

“We are growing our footprint in Africa and regard Rwanda as a key growth market. This project demonstrates our commitment to sustainable practices and highlights our ability to provide mobility solutions to the rural community in addition to the urban community currently serviced by our Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda business. The GenFarm Project fosters technological innovation and aligns with Volkswagen Group’s strategy to generate meaningful value for both society and the environment through sustainable mobility,” said Martina Biene, Volkswagen Group Africa Chairperson and Managing Director. 

The e-hub will not only facilitate vital operations and services for electric tractor services, and electric scooters but will also provide clean energy, storage space, and business space to the cooperatives.

In a collaborative effort to make the e-Hub a reality, Volkswagen Group Africa will handle the stakeholder steering committee and review post-pilot expansion possibilities while Volkswagen Group Innovation Centre Europe will equip the e-Hub with electric tractors from Wolfsburg, Germany.

While Volkswagen Mobile Solutions Rwanda will also provide support for ease in operations, the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) and the German development organisation Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) will also join hands to contribute to the project. GIZ will be supplying the necessary machinery for the tractors.

In the press release from Volkswagen Group Africa, the Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Innovation, Nikolai Ardey said: “We want to offer various services in the empowerment hubs. Farmers can book an e-tractor including a trained driver for affordable sustainable farming. The unique selling point of the project is the use of the battery swap system. In this way, the battery becomes part of the hub’s energy infrastructure as well as energy storage for the tractor.”

Source: Info via mail

Author: Abdulwaliy Oyekunle