The Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River Project // WEFE Nexus project partners met in Rutsiro district for a physical evaluation of the project
Since December 2021, with the support from the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through GIZ, the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS), the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) and Rutsiro district, are implementing a pilot project entitled “Enhancing Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus and Climate Resilience along Koko (Rwanda) and Lwiro (DRC) Rivers of the Lake Kivu Basin, through Nature-Based Community Enterprises” in Rwanda.
Tuesday, 16th February 2022, a delegation composed of Christine Hitimana Niyotwambaza, Deputy Director General of RWB; Etienne Havugimana, Rutsiro V/Mayor in charge of Economic Affairs; Kristine Herbomel, GIZ Project Officer; together with ABAKIR and GIZ representative; Dr Sam Kanyamibwa and Dr Athanase Mukuralinda from ARCOS and ICRAF met and visited the ongoing project activities in Rutsiro district.
The agenda of the day outlined the following as ultimate activities of the occasion: evaluate the progress activities of anti-erosion trenches and terraces, assess the tree planted along the buffer zones of Nyakibanda and Nyakagezi streams and Koko River, and in their vicinities, delegates visited a plot dedicated to be a selling point, among other project activities.
Dr Sam Kanyamibwa, ARCOS Executive Director, briefed partners about the project implementation updates. “As of now, we have trained project beneficiaries regarding sustainable agriculture and land management practices and the concept of WEFE Nexus, and we are happy that they are already putting the acquired skills into practice,” said Sam.
Dr Sam revealed that as part of building resilience to climate change, the project has so far, established anti-erosive trenches and protected the Koko river and its tributaries by planting both indigenous and exotic agroforestry trees alongside their buffer zones.
Christine Hitimana Niyotwambaza commended the good collaboration - between implementing partners and the government - marking the implementation of the project. Aside from praising the achieved activities, Christine and the whole delegation provided technical recommendations to be considered during the implementation of the project.
This article was originally published by ARCOS and can be accessed here. It was republished with the kind permission of the authors.
More information
- News // ARCOS launches a new transboundary project in Rwanda and DR Congo aiming to enhance water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus
- Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River Project // GIZ Hosts Strategic Action Plan Stakeholder Kickoff Workshop for the sustainable management of the Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River basin
- Report // Assessment and Monitoring of Soil Erosion Parameters in theTransboundary Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River Basin
- Support to the Integrated Management of Water Resources of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River