Clean Cooking Pioneer Neil McDougall Names Mountain Gorilla “Uruhembe” at Rwanda’s 2026 Kwita Izina Ceremony
Neil McDougall, Chairman and Co-Founder of DelAgua, named a mountain gorilla “Uruhembe”, meaning “at the forefront”, at the 21st Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony, held at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park on Friday 4th September. Neil took part in this year’s ceremony, alongside Eng. Ahmed Sadek Elsewedy, Chairman of Elsewedy Electric, Israel Mbonyi, Rwandan gospel singer and songwriter, Olivier Granet, Managing Partner and Co-CEO of Kasada Capital Management, Susan Hollern, Founder and President of Hope Haven Rwanda, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, acclaimed Rwandan filmmaker and conservationists, government officials and community representatives from Rwanda and around the world.
Neil’s selection as a Namer recognises more than a decade of work in Rwanda combining clean cooking, health, economic development and environmental protection. Neil founded DelAgua’s Tubeho Neza clean-cooking programme in Rwanda in 2012, pioneering the use of carbon finance to provide high-performance cookstoves free to rural families who otherwise could not afford access to cleaner cooking.
The programme has now distributed more than 1.9 million stoves, reaching over 7 million Rwandans. The stoves use 71% less firewood than traditional cooking fires, with major benefits for health and livelihoods while reducing pressure on Rwanda’s forests and natural resources. Neil’s selection as a Kwita Izina Namer brings together that work with Rwanda’s wider approach to conservation – linking the wellbeing of communities with protection of the natural environment.
“It is a profound honour to be here today as a friend of conservation and a friend of Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda has chosen to make community and conservation a priority: and this vision and collaboration sets an extraordinary example for the world. We first came to this beautiful country 14 years ago. Our goal was to transform lives and nature at scale and for the long term by giving communities access to clean, safe cooking. And that is what DelAgua’s Tubeho Neza programme has done,” said Neil Mcdougall, DelAgua Chairman, during Kwita Izina.
Tubeho Neza has distributed more than 1.9 million improved cookstoves to rural households across 27 of Rwanda’s 30 districts, reducing household firewood use by 71% compared with traditional threestone fires. To date, the programme has prevented the harvest of 3.1 million tonnes of wood in Rwanda, directly supporting the country’s reforestation and conservation goals, including the protection of forest habitat around Volcanoes National Park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas. DelAgua works with more than 7,000 Community Health Workers across Rwanda, who are trained and paid to carry out stove distributions and household visits – providing local employment while supporting the programme’s reach into rural communities. Since Tubeho Neza launched in 2012, DelAgua has invested over US$100 million in Rwanda, transforming the lives of more than 7 million people through free cookstove provision, education and long-term community support, funded through the sale of independently verified carbon credits.
Household air pollution from traditional cooking methods is the leading environmental cause of premature death and disability worldwide, contributing to an estimated 2-3 million premature deaths annually – more than malaria, HIV and tuberculosis combined. DelAgua’s improved stoves have been shown to reduce household air pollution by 73%, alongside cutting the time women and children spend gathering firewood.
As African governments increasingly look to climate finance to fund development priorities, DelAgua’s Rwanda partnership offers a working example of how carbon markets can be structured to benefit rural communities. DelAgua’s team continues to draw on lessons learned in Rwanda as it works with governments and partners elsewhere in Africa to bring the same model to new markets.
Organised by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, Kwita Izina is one of Africa’s most internationally recognised conservation events, that celebrates the survival and growth of Rwanda’s mountain gorilla population and honours the rangers, trackers, communities and partners who protect them. This year’s theme, “Conservation is Life: Sustaining the Future,” reflects Rwanda’s continued commitment to protecting mountain gorillas and their habitat while securing long-term sustainability for ecosystems and communities. Since the first ceremony in 2005, 460 mountain gorillas have been named through Kwita Izina.
“Protecting nature cannot be separated from improving people’s lives. Just as national conservation efforts cannot be separated from international cooperation. Rwanda’s experience here in the Virunga Mountains is tangible proof of this concept. The benefit of this approach has extended beyond conservation. The mountain gorillas and the tourism they have attracted have helped strengthen the socio-economic fabric of surrounding communities, creating jobs, supporting local businesses, attracting investment and opening new pathways for families and young people to improve their livelihoods.” Rt. Hon. Dr Justin Nsengiyumva, Rwanda Prime Minister
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