The Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) has deployed the Geospatial Hub, also known as Geo-Hub, a digital platform that uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to monitor the country’s farmlands in real time. According to George Kwizera, Chief Technology Officer at RSA, the platform serves as a central system for the country’s geospatial data. By collecting information from satellites and surveys, it allows decision-makers to replace guesswork with accurate, mapped insights. This shift aims to directly support food security, disaster management, and seasonal planning. “Think of it as Rwanda’s geospatial central platform,” Kwizera said, adding that institutions can now access accurate information to plan and monitor projects essential for the country’s development. The platform gathers data from satellites and government databases, organizes it into layers-such as land use and crops, and then uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to generate actionable insights to use in decision making. These insights are displayed on interactive dashboards, transforming raw numbers into visual tools that support decision-making. Kwizera took the closest example to Irembo platform, but he clarified that Geo-hub will not be public. Hub to support agriculture The impact on agriculture is immediate and practical, with RSA indicating that the Geo-Hub uses machine learning to map different crop types across the country and predict yields before the harvest season even begins. Kwizera noted that the platform identifies areas where plants are stressed or where soil lacks necessary nutrients, alerting officials to where irrigation or fertilizer is needed most to boost production. “By analyzing historical and near-present weather data, the platform provides information on areas that could be affected by drought, floods, or any other climate-related disaster risks.” ALSO READ: Geo-Spatial Hub adopted in Eastern Province to address land wrangles By December, the hub is scheduled to release crop area estimates to visualise cultivated land across all districts, and by January 2026, it will begin producing policy-level intelligence insights to enhance national planning, resource allocation, and market stability, while also guiding food stocks management to improve post-harvest loss reduction, according to the statement by Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI). The statement also shows that by 2026, the system will additionally generate seven-day disease forecasts for climate influenced diseases, allowing faster, more precise responses to outbreaks that have historically caused significant yield losses. “Rwanda has now become the first African country to operationalise a national near real-time platform [Geo Hub] for agriculture,” reads part of the statement from the Ministry. Portal will reduce costs According to the Ministry of Agriculture, various institutions would procure their own satellite imagery and run isolated pilot programmes in the past, which resulted in costly duplication and disjointed insight. The technology also addresses a long-standing hurdle for farmers: access to finance, with Kwizera stating that previously getting a loan often required physical surveys of the land, which could be costly and slow. “The Geo-Hub changes this dynamic by providing financial institutions with key insights about specific farms without the need for site visits, and easily supports farmers in securing loans,” he noted. By analyzing historical and current weather data, the portal also acts as an early warning system. It identifies areas at risk of drought, floods, or other climate-related disasters, allowing for faster response measures in flood-prone zones. In May 2023, devastating floods in the Western Region caused severe crop losses and claimed 130 lives. Satellite data played a critical role in identifying safe evacuation zones. The new portal enables a robust Early Warning System (EWS) for rainstorms and landslides. Its AI models detect anomalies using real-time vegetation indices to pinpoint high-risk hotspots with precision. When satellite data reveals abnormal changes in vegetation health linked to pest infestations or disease, the system automatically triggers alerts.
