By Abdullahi Lukman
The African Development Bank Group and the Government of Rwanda have launched a $9 million nature-based flood adaptation project to strengthen community resilience in western Rwanda.
Funded through a $9 million grant from the African Development Fund, the concessional financing arm of the Bank Group, the initiative will be implemented by the Rwanda Water Resources Board.
The project aims to reduce flood risks and boost climate resilience in vulnerable communities by deploying ecosystem-based solutions across high-risk watersheds.
Western Rwanda has in recent years faced recurring floods and landslides that have led to deaths, destruction of homes, damage to public infrastructure and disruption of economic activities.
The new intervention seeks to address these challenges by restoring degraded catchments, stabilising riverbanks, rehabilitating steep slopes and promoting reforestation and sustainable land management.
The project is expected to benefit about 620,000 people exposed to flood and landslide risks. It will also introduce climate information services, early warning systems and community-based disaster preparedness planning to safeguard lives, farmland and infrastructure.
Environmental monitoring, watershed rehabilitation and tree planting activities are projected to generate green jobs and strengthen local technical capacity, with a focus on gender equality and youth employment.
Speaking at the launch workshop in Kigali, Vivian Chinyolo, Country Programme Officer, representing the Bank Group’s Rwanda Country Manager Aissa Toure Sarr, said the investment would help tackle climate-related disasters in the western region while supporting livelihoods, environmental protection and job creation.
Richard Nyirishema, Executive Chairperson of the Rwanda Water Resources Board, described the project as a major step in protecting vulnerable communities from the growing impacts of climate change, noting that nature-based solutions would enhance resilience in high-risk catchment areas and safeguard critical infrastructure and agricultural livelihoods.
The three-day launch workshop, held from 18–20 February 2026 in Kigali, outlined procurement, financial management, environmental and social safeguards, and monitoring and evaluation standards to ensure effective and transparent implementation.
