Rwanda Speeds Ahead of Kenya with Landmark Urban Cable Car Project

Rwanda is set to outpace Kenya in the race to introduce cable cars as part of sustainable urban transport, with a $100 million project that promises to transform mobility in Kigali and slash emissions.

While Kenya has been mulling similar systems for nearly a decade—with proposed cable car lines in Nairobi and the Likoni ferry crossing in Mombasa—little progress has been made. Despite early announcements and feasibility studies dating as far back as 2014, neither project has broken ground.

Rwanda, on the other hand, is taking concrete steps. The government has launched a feasibility study for a cable car transit system in Kigali, under a Public-Private Partnership model.

Backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF), the initiative aligns with the country’s Climate and Nature Finance Strategy and its goal to cut carbon emissions by 38 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

“This pioneering feasibility study is a game-changing milestone,” said Solomon Quaynor, AfDB’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization. “We are laying the foundation for an investment-ready green infrastructure asset that offers both impact and returns.”

The planned system will draw on lessons from cable car networks in La Paz, Bolivia, and Singapore, with an emphasis on inclusivity—offering access for people with disabilities and creating employment for women, girls, and low-income residents.

The financing structure involves a blend of grants, concessional loans, and commercial investment.

Alongside UMDF support, institutions such as the International Finance Corporation, Africa50, the Trade and Development Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation, and private investors under the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa are expected to co-finance the project.

Kenya’s delayed cable car ventures now risk falling further behind as Rwanda positions itself as a regional pioneer in climate-resilient, people-centred mobility.

gandae@businessdayafrica.org