Rwanda: From Green Cities to Carbon Markets - Gggi's Decade of Supporting Rwanda's Transition to a Green Economy

What the report says

Rwanda’s partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is being marked as it reaches a decade of formal cooperation, with the Host Country Agreement signed in 2016 and GGGI’s relationship with Rwanda beginning in 2013, according to The New Times. The article says the collaboration has grown from early work on green cities into a broader agenda covering urban planning, circular economy efforts, green investment, climate finance and carbon-market opportunities.

Caroline Raes, GGGI’s Africa deputy regional director for quality of delivery and Rwanda country representative, said the organization initially focused on helping Rwanda plan for sustainable urban growth, including support for a national roadmap for green secondary city development and later revisions to master plans for Kigali and six secondary cities. The article reports that this work aimed to guide development away from sensitive areas, improve land use and strengthen climate-resilient infrastructure.

The partnership later expanded into e-mobility, energy efficiency, waste management and nature-based solutions. GGGI also helped support Rwanda Green Fund’s institutional development and says it contributed to Rwanda’s first Green Climate Fund project, the Green Gicumbi Project, a $32.8 million initiative focused on resilience and livelihoods.

The piece says GGGI has helped mobilize more than $52 million in green investment for Rwanda and supported about 18 green growth policies. It also highlights the Nduba landfill project in Kigali, where GGGI worked with the Ministry of Environment and Luxembourg funding to add waste-measurement and sorting systems, create green jobs and improve organic waste treatment. More broadly, the article suggests Rwanda is using planning and finance tools to turn environmental goals into practical development projects.