Rwanda Climate Observatory Project

The Climate Observatory Project was initiated in 2011 by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to establish a world-class climate observatory on top of Mt. Karisimbimeasure to measure greenhouse gases (GHGs), meteorological parameters, aerosols and train local capacity in atmospheric and climate science engineering. 

The project agreement was for MIT to provide the necessary funds to purchase the instruments while the Rwandan government provides staff and other facilities to host the climate observatory. Per the agreement, all station instruments were delivered by MIT between 2013 and 2018, including the Medusa system delivered and launched in January 2019. However, given the difficulty of accessing mount Karisimbi, the Rwandan government agreed to build a cable car to facilitate access to Mount Karisimbi. At the same time, the Rwandan government also set up an interim station at Mount Mugogo for training and capacity building.