Additional support to urban climate resilience in Rwanda
NDF signs the financing agreement for additional financing to help Rwanda adapt to climate change, with a special focus on urban wetlands
Today, NDF has signed the financing agreement approving EUR 10 million in additional financing to the Rwanda Urban Development Project II by the World Bank and the Government of Rwanda. The NDF financing is targeted to support the city of Kigali and its inhabitants to improve climate resilience through flood control measures and better management in urban wetlands.
The project aims to improve public health, human and assets safety of neighbouring communities, and restored wetland ecosystem services including biodiversity.
Urban wetlands are recognised as playing a key role in building resilience to climate change. During storms, urban wetlands absorb excess rainfall, reduce flooding, and minimise subsequent infrastructure and economic damage. Urban wetlands also act as a filter for pollution, improving water and air quality and helping to moderate extreme city temperatures. When conserved and sustainably used, urban wetlands can provide cities with multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits, such as improved water quality, biodiversity values, and recreation.
The additional NDF financing will significantly strengthen the project’s comprehensive approach to managing risks across the natural and built environment. This approach considers the connection between land, water, and waste in cities and aims to demonstrate the complementarity and integration of grey infrastructure and nature-based solutions (or green infrastructure). In addition, the approach can be replicated across the country and beyond.
In 2019, NDF approved EUR 6.1 million financing for the project. Due to the lack of sufficient funding to make the necessary investments in flood protection and wetland restoration, more financing was proposed. Both additional and original financing are part of the NDF project named Rwanda - Kigali Flood Control and Integrated Catchment Management. The project is implemented by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA). The project commenced in 2021 and is expected to finish by 2025.
