Construction of Ruzizi III hydropower plant for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi

The Ruzizi III hydropower project, designed to deliver 206 MW of generation capacity shared across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, is one of the longer-running regional energy initiatives in central-east Africa. It predates Global Gateway by several years, and its inclusion under the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative reflects a broader EU strategy of attaching political branding to projects already in development. No EU Commission disbursement records appear in the IATI Datastore for this project, and no EIB project file has been matched, which means there is currently no independently verifiable evidence that EU-linked financing has flowed to construction. The project's recent trajectory is notably troubled. In March 2025, Reuters reported that the EIB was reviewing its financing commitment for the project, citing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC as a material risk factor. That is a significant development: EIB review processes of this kind can result in suspension or withdrawal of support, and the Reuters report represents the most authoritative signal available on the project's financial standing.