How Open-Access 3kg Tekeraheza Cylinders with D20 Valves Could Transform Clean Cooking Access in Rwanda
In 2019, we believed we had found a breakthrough for clean cooking in Rwanda: a small 3kg LPG cylinder designed to make gas more affordable and accessible for low-income households and young people. We were excited. Hopeful. Confident.
We imported 400 units of 3kg cylinders equipped with camping valves to test the market, convinced the market would immediately embrace the idea. But the market rejected it.
At first, the experience felt painful. We thought we had failed. Yet with time, we came to understand something important: sometimes the market is not rejecting your vision — it is teaching you how to build it better.
The problem was not the 3kg cylinder equipped with camping valve itself. The problem was that we had not listened deeply enough to the people we wanted to serve.
Customers already using 10kg,12kg, 15kg, and 20kg cylinders did not want to buy completely different burners, regulators, or accessories simply to use a smaller cylinder. What people wanted was simplicity, flexibility, convenience, and freedom of choice.
That lesson changed everything for us. Instead of abandoning the idea, we went back to the field. For years, we listened carefully to households, tenants, students, young professionals, small businesses, motorcycle delivery riders, and families struggling to manage cooking costs every month.
And then we discovered something surprising: Many households using large cylinders do not necessarily need large cylinders every single day. Sometimes, they simply need a smaller, lighter, and more affordable backup solution — something portable, easy to refill, easy to carry, and easier to manage during difficult financial periods.
That insight became the foundation of a completely redesigned solution. In 2026, we are coming back stronger with a smarter approach: an open-access 3kg LPG cylinder equipped with a D20 valve.
This design allows customers already using 10kg, 12kg, 15kg, or 20kg cylinders to switch temporarily to a 3kg cylinder without changing their existing cooking system. The same stove setup can continue to be used, reducing both inconvenience and additional costs.
Even more importantly, the cylinder is designed to be refillable at any LPG filling plant, while the cylinder safety management and usage tracking are supported through the Tekeraheza App.
This initiative also aligns with the Government of Rwanda’s efforts to increase the accessibility and affordability of LPG for low-income households, led jointly by the RWANDA MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE MININFRA and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning .
The Open-Access 3kg Tekeraheza Cylinder with D20 Valve is designed to support Rwanda’s vision of making clean cooking more affordable, flexible, and accessible to every household — especially low-income families, urban and rural households.
This innovation would not have been possible without the support of the Government of Rwanda through the innovation grant provided under Energy Development Corporation Limited / Rwanda Energy Group. That support helped us to design and develop a clean cooking platform called Smart Cooking Management Application-Tekeraheza ( www.tekeraheza.com).
This changes everything.
Imagine a family that normally cooks with a 12kg cylinder. Instead of completely returning to charcoal when money becomes tight, they can temporarily switch to a smaller 3kg cylinder while continuing to use the same stove and regulator.
Imagine students, young couples, tenants, and urban or rural households finally accessing clean cooking without the fear of high upfront costs.
Imagine a future where clean cooking becomes more flexible, practical, and adapted to real life. With the combination of the Tekeraheza App, and universal/open-access 3kg cylinders with D20 valves, this is no longer just about introducing another LPG cylinder to the market.
It is about introducing a new way of thinking about energy access. A future where families are not forced to choose between affordability and clean cooking. A future where clean cooking adapts to people’s lives, instead of forcing people to adapt to the system.
Because sometimes innovation is not about creating something completely new. Sometimes innovation is about listening carefully enough to redesign the future around what people truly need. 2019 gave us a lesson. 2026 is giving us a second chance to get it right.