Solar panels east of Kigali, Ruanda

Core area “Climate and energy, just transition” Adaptation to climate change and environmentally friendly urban development

Cooperation in the core area “Climate and energy, just transition” was agreed at the German-Rwandan government negotiations in 2020. It is a key element of the new strategic cooperation on climate action between Germany and Rwanda.

Pioneer on climate action

Rwanda is already feeling the effects of climate change. Average temperatures are rising, heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides are becoming more frequent. Among the least developed countries, Rwanda has been playing a leading role in climate action from an early stage. The country is actively involved in international climate initiatives and the NDC partnership. In 2012, the government created a national fund dedicated specifically to climate finance, the Fund for Environment and Climate Change in Rwanda (FONERWA). It is the largest of its kind in Africa and is seen as serving as a model for others on the continent to follow.

KfW Development Bank is financing climate change adaptation projects at the district level via this fund. Support is also being provided for a project on environmentally-sound urban development in the capital Kigali.

Climate and Development Partnership

German Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Dr Uzziel Ndagijimana, Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, after signing the Rwandan-German Climate and Development Partnership in Kigali on 1 March 2022.

Press release 1 March 2022 Germany and Rwanda sign Climate and Development Partnership Internal link

With a view to supporting Rwanda’s climate action efforts, Germany and its partner country agreed in September 2021 to initiate a climate and development partnership. The aim of the partnership is to support the Rwandan government in its efforts to implement its ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs). Talks on this issue were held between the BMZ, the German Environment Ministry and the Rwandan government.

Three components were agreed:

  1. Enhanced climate policy dialogue
  2. Support for climate action
  3. Partnerships with academia, the private sector and civil society

The partnership was formally signed in March 2022 and will be fleshed out in detail in the course of 2022.

Green City Kigali

Affordable housing is scarce in densely populated Rwanda because of rapid urban growth, especially in the country’s capital Kigali. A new future-oriented quarter will now be developed in the capital with Germany’s support – with high quality, climate-smart infrastructure, environmentally-sound housing and community transport access.

Initially, as part of a pilot project on 16 hectares, almost 1,700 affordable apartments will be built for 7,000 to 8,000 people. Ultimately, a total of up to 30,000 housing units will be developed within an area of roughly 600 hectares. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023.

The Green City Kigali (External link) is to serve as a model for sustainable and climate-friendly urban development for other cities.

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As at: 23/02/2022