Rwanda: Kigali Wetlands Will Protect 220,000 People From Floods, Says PM

What the report says

Rwanda’s Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva told the 31st UN Climate Change Conference in Türkiye that rehabilitation of five wetlands in Kigali is expected to lower flood risk for more than 220,000 residents. The New Times report, distributed by AllAfrica, says the work is part of wider urban resilience efforts that also include public green spaces, jobs and livelihood opportunities.

According to the article, Rwanda and its partners have invested about $195 million in flood-risk reduction, upgrading informal settlements, building access roads and restoring nearly 500 hectares of urban wetlands. Nsengiyumva said the wetland work shows how nature-based solutions can support climate adaptation at scale, and that Rwanda wants to extend similar projects to secondary and satellite cities under its updated climate plan, known as NDC 3.0.

The prime minister also pointed to the Green Gicumbi project in northern Rwanda as another example of climate resilience, saying it helped protect communities through terracing, watershed protection and climate-resilient housing. He used the COP31 platform to argue that developing countries need greater and more reliable climate finance, including support for adaptation and mitigation.

Rwanda’s NDC 3.0 target is to cut emissions by 53% by 2035 compared with a business-as-usual scenario, and the government says this will require about $12 billion in investment, most of it dependent on international support.