Kamanzi (blue tie), told MPs that at least 13 oil wells have been identified in Lake Kivu.
Rwanda has discovered at least 13 oil wells in Lake Kivu and is considering carrying out extensive exploration surveys, according to Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB).
RMB said recent seismic surveys confirmed the presence of oil deposits in the lake located on the western border of the country.
Appearing before a parliamentary committee on Governance Affairs and Gender on Tuesday, 15th January 2025, Francis Kamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at RMB, told Members of Parliament that preliminary studies confirmed what he called “good news”
“The good news is that we have oil. Preliminary surveys conducted in Kivu have discovered 13 wells that show signs of containing oil deposits. This is something geologists are aware of,” said Kamanzi.
The RMB boss and the environment Minister Dr. Valentine Uwamariya appeared before parliamentarians to answer questions that arose from the Ombudsman’s 2024 report that implicated both institutions in ineffective handling of environmental policies.
In a subsequent press release, RMB shared an update on the oil and gas exploration in Lake Kivu whose basin is part of the extensive system of the Eastern African rift valley system.
“The 2D Seismic Survey (2021-2022) commissioned by the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board revealed that Lake Kivu has potential for hydrocarbon resources. The study indicated that Lake Kivu basin has a deep thickness of around 3.5 km with hydrocarbon’ occurrences,” the press release said
RMB identified thirteen structural pockets and potential drilling locations to confirm the presence and nature of hydrocarbons.
Currently, RMB is pitching to relevant potential actors to participate in further stages of exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the Lake Kivu basin.
Kamanzi explained to the parliamentarians that the country is considering drilling to ascertain the quantities of oils in the lake and to determine if it’s worth investing in.
Kamanzi said that the discovery aligns with studies that show the presence of oil in the Albertine Rift Valley, which stretches from Uganda, where oil was discovered in Lake Albert, coming all the way down to Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika.
Rwanda has previously conducted 2D seismic surveys in 2012 to acquire seismic data on Lake Kivu as well as an oil-prospecting geochemical survey in 2017-2018, and sound oceanic high-resolution 2D seismic surveys in 2021 to 2022, to image the Lake Kivu subsurface.
