One year ago, when Muhamud Manasseh, a resident of Muhanga District, traveled to China and Kenya for a short-term course about the use of cooking gas and biogas. He returned with an entrepreneurial spirit. The entrepreneurial drive led him to seek ways to locally produce cooking gas stoves components that are on the market today. This is a big development considering that Rwanda imports all the stoves. At that time, he was an employee in a local institution training Rwandan population on using and distributing biogas as well as cooking gas. “The idea emerged from traveling to developed countries for a short-term course about the use of cooking gas and talked to their people. When I looked at the value chain of cooking gas production, it inspired me to think of local production, the dreams I had since 2012,” he said. This led him to seek a loan of Rwf22 million from a bank to invest in research and production, a process he says has not been easy at all. Muhamud Manasseh manufactures cooking gas stoves from melted metal scraps. Manasseh realised that used metal scraps can be melted and then that the melt can be used to produce cooking gas stoves stands and saucepans. “I aim at locally producing some accessories of the cooking gas facilities instead of importing them. That is why I thought of melting metal scraps from different equipment such as cars, old saucepans and others and produce gas cookers,” he said. He collects used metal scraps that have been dumped as waste and melts them for over two hours. However, he told Business Times that since he had no modern equipment or machines, he started using traditional way and making simple machines using his own skills. The innovator used own skills to first forge a machine used to melt the metals. Bellows was traditionally used by black-smith in blowing air into the forge (hearth) to heat metals and produce different tool, the technique that was used by Rwandans especially in ancient times. In the oven, he inserts ‘Amakoro’, a stone formed by solidification of volcano lava and little charcoal to produce heat for melting the metals, he explained. “I forged the machine looking like a traditional tool called ‘bellows’ which we use to blow air into the fire in the kiln or oven that later heats and melts the metal scraps and then pour that liquid of melted metal on sand to shape and make cooking gas stoves,” he explained. He said they used to import sand from the region, but they are now trying the sand from Musanze district to be used in the production. “All we are using are machines we made ourselves to heat and melt the metal scraps. Once we get modern machines and a big workshop for our operations, the production will increase and set up the factory,” he said. The idea is to promote Made-in-Rwanda products and reduce the imports, creates jobs for the youth, set up a training school and a factory while protecting environment from waste as well, he said. The climax in 2019 He said that after 11 months of trials, it was until January last year that his company dubbed “Muhanga Development Gas”, put the marketable product on the market. “So far we have produced over 3,000 cooking gas stoves stands supplied in Kigali city, Muhanga and Huye Districts. Each one is sold at Rwf2,500 ,” he said adding that the price could go down once there is an improvement and mass production. “Currently we can satisfy one province considering the demand and once we embrace modern techniques, a big place for the operations and the factory we will satisfy the countrywide demand,” he said. In order to create jobs for youth, he said, 38 young people have been trained so that they become part of the production and distribution across the country. “After the training, we remain with few of the youth so that we train others. Once we get a big place for the operations, they will be grouped together to equip the factory we plan to set up. We have skills but no modern equipment,” he said. Manasseh added that they have also produced a sample of strong saucepans from the same techniques. “I still have limited financial capacity to boost and expand the business,” he said. Innocent Kayiranga, the Vice Mayor in charge of economic development in Muhanga District, said that they will work together to pave the way for getting a plot in the industrial zone. Rwanda is promoting cooking gas to help reduce wood fuel for cooking from 80 per cent to 40 per cent by 2024. The Rwandan government has also commissioned a study on the possibilities of using methane gas for cooking. If the trial of locally producing cooking gas and their accessories such as cooking gas stoves, it totally stops the importation of the whole package. According the Ministry of Infrastructure, the demand for cooking gas is set to rise to more than 240,000 tonnes by 2024, from the current 10,000 tonnes. The use of LPG in cooking has increased from 724.6 tonnes in 2010.
