AfDB Approves €45.4m for Climate-Resilient Water Project in Rwanda

The African Development Bank Group has approved additional financing of €45.4m for Rwanda to support the Muvumba Multipurpose Water Resources Development Programme.

The funding, comprising €17.66m from the African Development Fund and €27.74m from the bank, will be used to construct a climate-resilient irrigation system covering 3,073 hectares of farmland.

With the new financing, the bank’s total contribution to the programme rises to €166.9m out of a total project cost of €176m, with the Rwandan government providing the balance.

The Muvumba project, which includes a dam and hydropower plant, is a flagship initiative aimed at advancing the country’s food-energy-water nexus. Construction began in October 2023 and had reached over 50 per cent completion as of March 2026.

Director for Water Development and Sanitation at the bank, Mtchera Chirwa, said the programme would support multiple uses, including power generation, water supply, food security and ecotourism.

He noted that the project is expected to improve agricultural productivity, enhance food and nutrition security for over 26,000 people, and create more than 4,700 direct jobs, with about 60 per cent targeted at youth.

The programme aligns with Rwanda’s long-term development agenda, including its Rwanda 2050 strategy and the Second National Strategy for Transformation (2024–2029), as well as the bank’s Ten-Year Strategy for 2024–2033.

Implementation will be led by the Rwanda Water Resources Board in partnership with the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, with completion expected by 2030.