The initiative, officially introduced at a three\u2011day workshop in Kigali, will be implemented by the Rwanda Water Resources Board and financed through a $9 million grant from the African Development Fund, the Bank\u2019s concessional financing window.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The project will use ecosystem\u2011based solutions to address recurrent flooding, soil erosion and land degradation in high\u2011risk watersheds, ultimately improving safety, livelihoods and climate resilience for vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Speaking on behalf of AfDB Country Manager Aissa Toure Sarr, Rwanda Country Programme Officer Vivian Chinyolo said the investment is designed to deliver sustainable, long\u2011term protection for affected communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate\u2011related disasters continue to pose serious risks to communities in the western region. Through this investment, the Bank is supporting sustainable, nature\u2011based solutions that not only reduce flood risks but also strengthen livelihoods, enhance environmental protection and create local employment opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The project will restore degraded catchments, stabilise riverbanks, rehabilitate steep slopes and promote reforestation and sustainable land management. These activities are expected to benefit around 620 000 people living in areas prone to floods and landslides. Additional components include watershed rehabilitation, tree planting and environmental monitoring, which are expected to generate green jobs and build local technical capacity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Communities will also benefit from improved climate information services, early warning systems and strengthened local disaster preparedness planning. Gender equality and youth employment will be prioritised throughout implementation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Richard Nyirishema, Executive Chairperson of the Rwanda Water Resources Board, said the project marks a significant step forward for national climate resilience. \u201cBy prioritising nature\u2011based solutions, we are strengthening resilience across high\u2011risk catchment areas while protecting critical infrastructure, agricultural livelihoods and the long\u2011term sustainability of our water resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The initiative supports Rwanda\u2019s national climate resilience agenda and aligns with the AfDB Climate Change and Green Growth Strategy. The three\u2011day launch workshop, held from February 18 to 20, 2026, covered procurement, financial management and environmental and social safeguards to ensure transparent and efficient project delivery.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–AfDB\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":26995,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-26994","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Government of Rwanda have launched a new nature\u2011based flood adaptation programme aimed at strengthening community resilience in the country\u2019s western region, which has experienced increasingly destructive floods and landslides in recent years.","published_date":null,"news_description":"The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Government of Rwanda have launched a new nature\u2011based flood adaptation programme aimed at strengthening community resilience in the country\u2019s western region, which has experienced increasingly destructive floods and landslides in recent years.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27282,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26994\/revisions\/27282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=26994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}