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A new five-year international initiative backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been launched to advance crop biotechnology and bolster food security in Rwanda.
The Rwanda Capacity Building (BioCap) Project will establish a Centre of Excellence for Crop Biotechnology at the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) Rubona Station in Huye District, to enable local scientists to develop and deploy improved varieties of key food crops.
With a $15 million investment, the program is designed to strengthen Rwanda’s scientific and regulatory systems so the country can create and introduce crops that are more resilient to pests, diseases and other agricultural risks.
It represents a strategic effort to enhance productivity and support sustainable agricultural growth at a time when Rwanda’s predominantly farming-based economy continues to confront climate pressures and evolving pest challenges.
At the heart of the BioCap Project is research focused on three priority crops that are essential to national food security and rural livelihoods.
Scientists at the new centre will work to develop cassava varieties resistant to cassava brown streak disease, a condition that severely reduces yields across East Africa; potato lines with resistance to late blight, one of the most destructive diseases affecting potato production; and banana varieties such as Scandisi and Jaggi that are resistant to Xanthomonas wilt and Fusarium wilt, both of which threaten staple banana production.
Officials from partner institutions say the initiative will not only produce improved plant varieties but also build long-term national expertise in advanced biotechnology.
The centre will support capacity development in areas such as genetic transformation, genome editing, molecular diagnostics and biosafety, critical skills for modern crop research.
Nigel Taylor, Vice President of Impact at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, highlighted the centre’s role in expanding existing collaborations to deliver virus-resistant cassava to smallholder farmers and help Rwanda become a leading hub for crop biotechnology in Africa.
Solange Uwituze, State Minister in Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, emphasized that Rwanda’s farmers face persistent agricultural threats such as fall armyworm, cassava brown streak and drought stress.
She noted that improved crop varieties developed through biotechnology could provide science-based solutions to these challenges.
Beyond research, the BioCap Project will support infrastructure improvements, strengthen seed systems, and generate essential regulatory, environmental and food safety data to ensure that biotech crops are both effective and safe for producers and consumers.
Partnerships with institutions including the International Potato Center (CIP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Michigan State University and Alliance for Science Rwanda reflect the international scope of the initiative.
Acting RAB Director General Florence Uwamahoro said the project will also enhance seed certification pipelines and public-private collaboration to accelerate the availability of improved varieties to farmers.
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