Rwanda hosted the validation of a market readiness study on green building materials and equipment, the study was conducted by the Global Green Growth Institute in partnership with Expertise France and the Government of Rwanda. Basically, the work looked at the availability, how affordable the materials are, and the supply situation for some selected construction materials, the ones considered to be environmentally sustainable.
It was presented in Kigali during a workshop on 24 September, attended by representatives from government, the construction sector and academia. The findings are expected to, inform technical standards for green materials, and support the implementation of Rwanda’s Green Building Minimum Compliance Standards, basically.
The assessment looked at three commonly used construction products, focusing on demand, supply chains and lifecycle costs, to make sense of real market conditions and the barriers to wider use. Caroline Raes, country representative of GGGI in Rwanda, said the shift towards green construction depends on policy frameworks as well as market conditions.
The transition into green building depends not just on policies but also on markets that can somehow bring accessible solutions that are affordable too, she said.
The study is part of a longer programme, sort of intended to make environmental considerations show up inside public financial management and procurement systems, more or less.
Officials say public procurement could be used to raise demand for greener materials and back local suppliers as well.
Jimmy Christian Byukusenge, Director General of the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority, said procurement decisions may shape long term outcomes. “Procurement decisions can shape environmental and economic outcomes when lifecycle costs are considered alongside initial prices,” he said.
Stakeholders they mentioned challenges too, like limited awareness, higher upfront costs and constraints tied to local production capacity, just. The Rwanda Housing Authority said that to make implementation work, stronger collaboration between public sector and private sector will be required. Rwanda has, in recent years, rolled out green building standards, covering things such as energy efficiency, water usage, and environmental protection.
Source: Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) press release