Ireme Invest

What Ireme Invest does

Ireme Invest is a Government of Rwanda green investment facility launched at COP27 in November 2022 with initial capitalization of USD 104 million (committed up to USD 200 million). It is jointly powered by the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) and the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), and serves as Rwanda's integrated one-stop centre for private-sector green finance. The facility targets the country's USD 11 billion climate action funding gap and supports startups and SMEs across five priority sectors: Clean Energy, Smart Mobility, Sustainable Cities, Climate Smart Agriculture, and Waste & Circular Economy. It is backed by sovereign and DFI partners including the European Investment Bank, Agence Française de Développement, the Governments of Sweden, the UK, Denmark, IFC, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, the Global Climate Partnership Fund, the World Bank, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The facility operates two integrated funding windows. The Project Preparation Facility, managed by Rwanda Green Fund, provides grants up to Rwf 125 million, recoverable grants up to Rwf 300 million, and equity investments up to Rwf 300 million to transition projects from feasibility to bankability. The Credit Facility, embedded in BRD, offers concessional loans (12% interest all-inclusive, up to 12-year tenor with up to 2-year grace period) and partial credit guarantees. Two specialized programmes layer incubation and acceleration on top of these instruments: the Circular Economy Programme (15 weeks of mentoring plus grants up to Rwf 60 million for 10 businesses, delivered with GIZ and Impact Hub Kigali) and the Adaptation Accelerator Programme (3 months of mentoring plus grants up to Rwf 100 million each for 10 SMEs in climate-smart agriculture, delivered with ESP and the Alliance of Bioversity/CIAT under CGIAR).

Its go-to-market combines direct application via iremeinvest.rw with partner-led outreach, webinars, and info-sessions. Distribution is omnichannel: grants flow directly through Rwanda Green Fund, credit flows through BRD (with planned on-lending to other Rwandan financial institutions), and programme delivery is executed via specialist implementation partners. As of June 2024, the facility had deployed Rwf 2.7 billion across 16 investees in its first round and signed its first Credit Facility loan (PREV Rwanda Ltd, electric mobility) in February 2024, with a EUR 400 million pipeline of private-sector projects identified by BRD.

Name

Ireme Invest

Legal name

Ireme Invest

Website

https://iremeinvest.rw

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ireme Invest is Rwanda's government-backed green investment facility that provides grants, recoverable grants, equity, and concessional loans to startups and SMEs across clean energy, smart mobility, sustainable cities, climate-smart agriculture, and circular economy sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Finance / Green Investment Facility

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities (BPADACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Development Finance, Guarantees & Blended Finance Programs (BPADABAM), Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)

Keywords

• Green investment financing
• Concessional lending
• Climate finance facility
• Development banking services
• Green SME funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Ireme Invest provides non-repayable grants to eligible businesses through the Project Preparation Facility, supporting early-stage green business development and project preparation activities.
2. Recoverable Grants: Semi-repayable grants offered to projects transitioning from feasibility to bankability, providing capital support with potential recovery conditions.
3. Equity Investments: Direct equity participation in eligible green businesses, providing capital in exchange for ownership stakes.
4. Concessional Loans: Credit facility providing loans with favourable terms (12% interest rate inclusive, up to 12 years tenor, grace period up to 2 years) to SMEs through Development Bank of Rwanda.
5. Credit Guarantees: Partial credit guarantees provided to de-risk lending for green projects, enabling access to finance for climate-resilient investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ireme Invest is a Rwandan government-backed green investment facility that provides tailored financial products and services to private sector businesses operating in green sectors. It offers grants (up to Rwf 125 million), recoverable grants (up to Rwf 300 million), equity investments (up to Rwf 300 million), and concessional loans (12% interest, up to 12-year tenor, grace period up to 2 years) through two integrated windows — a Project Preparation Facility managed by the Rwanda Green Fund and a Credit Facility managed by the Development Bank of Rwanda. The facility also runs targeted incubation and acceleration programmes (Circular Economy Programme and Adaptation Accelerator Programme) that combine expert mentoring, workshops, and coaching with grant funding for selected green entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Product overview

Ireme Invest is Rwanda's one-stop centre for green investment, consisting of two main facilities working in an integrated approach: the Project Preparation Facility (managed by Rwanda Green Fund) offering grants, recoverable grants, and equity investments; and the Credit Facility (managed by Development Bank of Rwanda) offering concessional loans and credit guarantees. The facility also operates specific programmes including the Circular Economy Programme and Adaptation Accelerator Programme for targeted support to entrepreneurs and SMEs in green sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project Preparation Facility: Grants, recoverable grants, and equity investments offered through the Rwanda Green Fund to support projects from feasibility to bankability.
• Credit Facility
• Circular Economy Programme
• Adaptation Accelerator Programme

Products and services

• Project Preparation Facility Facility managed by the Rwanda Green Fund that offers grants (up to Rwf 125 million), recoverable grants (up to Rwf 300 million), and equity investments (up to Rwf 300 million) to facilitate the transition of green projects and companies from feasibility to bankability and growth. Targets Rwandan private-sector green businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Credit Facility Credit facility embedded within the Development Bank of Rwanda that offers concessional loans (12% interest rate inclusive of fees, up to 12-year tenor with grace period up to 2 years) and partial credit guarantees to eligible projects and SMEs in Rwanda's green sectors.
• Circular Economy Programme Incubation and grant funding programme for entrepreneurs and SMEs in Rwanda's waste and circular economy sector. Provides 15 weeks of expert mentoring, workshops, and coaching, plus grant funding of up to Rwf 60 million each for up to 10 selected participating businesses. Supported by GIZ under the Rwandan-German Climate and Development Partnership and facilitated by Impact Hub Kigali.
• Adaptation Accelerator Programme Three-month accelerator programme for SMEs in Rwanda's climate-smart agriculture sector. Provides expert mentoring, workshops, coaching, and grant funding of up to Rwf 100 million each for ten selected SMEs. Delivered by Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP) in collaboration with The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and technical partnership from CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF).

Quantifiable outcome

• Rwf 2.7 billion invested in first round across 16 businesses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2024Partnership with Rwanda Green Fund to boost investments in agriculture adaptation. Leverages cutting-edge climate risk analytics. Technical partner for Adaptation Accelerator Programme.
• Impact Hub KigalicoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 22 September 2023Facilitation partner for Circular Economy Programme. Supporting delivery of incubation and acceleration services to selected entrepreneurs.
• Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2022Capitalization fund of USD 22 million equivalent in RWF. Co-developer and implementer of Credit Facility. Joint initiative with Rwanda Green Fund powering Ireme Invest.
• Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2022Implementing the Project Preparation Facility. Co-developer of Ireme Invest. Rwanda's financing vehicle for attracting and coordinating climate finance since 2012.
• Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDelivering the Adaptation Accelerator Programme in collaboration with The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT. Offices in Abidjan and Kigali; has impacted more than 1,000 entrepreneurs across seven African countries since 2011.
• The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Adaptation Accelerator Programme. Delivers research-based solutions for agricultural biodiversity and sustainable food systems transformation. Part of CGIAR.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Climate Investment Funds (CIF): Multilateral climate finance facility that blends concessional finance from developed countries with MDB financing to scale clean technology and climate resilience in developing markets—operationally and structurally analogous to Ireme Invest's blended-finance model.
• Green Climate Fund (GCF): The world's largest dedicated climate fund for developing countries; comparable as a multi-instrument green finance facility deploying grants, loans, equity and guarantees—though at global scale and with Rwanda as one of many recipient countries overlapping with Ireme Invest's project universe.
• BII (British International Investment): UK's development finance institution making debt and equity investments in African and South Asian businesses, including climate SMEs; overlaps with Ireme Invest on concessional financing, catalytic capital, and mobilizing private investment into emerging-market green ventures.
• IFC (International Finance Corporation): World Bank Group's private-sector arm is a core partner of Ireme Invest and a parallel provider of blended concessional finance, equity, and guarantees to emerging-market green businesses—competing and collaborating for the same Rwandan climate pipeline.

Emerging players

• Acumen: Non-profit impact investor combining patient capital and incubation for early-stage green/social enterprises in Africa and South Asia—closely comparable to Ireme Invest's Circular Economy and Adaptation Accelerator programmes that combine technical assistance with equity and grant capital.
• Africa Climate Fund / Climate Finance Lab: Initiative that designs and pilots innovative blended finance instruments for climate-smart development in Africa; shares the catalytic-finance, blended-investment, and innovation-focus ethos of Ireme Invest's grant-to-loan product design.

Regional players

• Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC): Regional peer offering incubation, advisory, and capital access for climate-focused Kenyan SMEs through a mix of grants and concessional finance—a comparable 'green SME support facility' model in a neighboring East African market, useful for benchmarking execution.
• FSD Africa: Africa-focused development finance vehicle fostering inclusive financial markets, including green/climate finance; comparable dual mandate of capacity-building plus capital deployment aimed at unlocking private sector activity in African markets.

Direct peers

• Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA): Co-developer and implementing arm of Ireme Invest's Project Preparation Facility; both share mandate to channel climate/green capital into Rwandan private sector projects—FONERWA being the national climate finance vehicle since 2012 that Ireme Invest effectively extends and productizes.
• Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD): Co-developer and operator of Ireme Invest's Credit Facility; BRD is Rwanda's national development finance institution that originates the concessional loans and credit guarantees, making it the most operationally overlapping peer within the facility itself.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iremeinvest
• Facebookfacebook.com/iremeinvest
• Instagraminstagram.com/iremeinvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ireme Invest