A Danish delegation on official visit to Rwanda, has on Wednesday 06 April 2022 visited wetlands to be rehabilitated under the Second Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP2).

RUDP II project came as continuation of the RUDP I with an additional scope of interventions in wetlands rehabilitation, flood control, urban planning and several technical assistance studies to be funded by the World Bank in partnership with Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Nordic Development Fund and Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

The Danish delegation led by Ms. Lotte Machon, State Secretary for Development Policy, MFA visited the wetlands to observe rehabilitation process of degraded wetlands in the city of Kigali, and later visited the Nyandungu Eco Park as an example of what wetlands to be rehabilitated under RUDP II could look like.

“In 2018, Rwanda adopted a law on environment that promote wetlands protection. The Government of Rwanda went further and relocated illegal activities in wetlands in a bid to restore the ecological characteristics of the country’s wetlands” Faustin Munyazikwiye, Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) told the Danish delegation.

The delegation visited different sites where human activities including garages, shopping malls, and agricultural activities, and houses were relocated from wetlands.

After visiting different sites of wetlands to be rehabilitated, the Danish delegation also visited Nyandungu Eco Park – former Nyandungu wetland which was also degraded due to human activities – to observe what could be done for the five wetlands to be rehabilitated by RUDP2.

They visited the Pope’s Garden created in memory of the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Rwanda in 1990, the medicinal garden which displays indigenous and local plants, as well as different ponds located in the park named after different lakes in Rwanda including Muhazi, Kivu, Ruhondo and Ihema

“It's impressive. I must say that I am super impressed by the way that you have laid it out so intelligently. So, I am proud that we are financing rehabilitation of two of the new wetlands" said Ms. Lotte Machon.

In total, five wetlands in the City of Kigali will be rehabilitated by RUDP2 to foster biodiversity and ecosystems services. They include Kibumba, Nyabugogo, Rugenge-Rwintare, Rwampara and Gikondo wetland.

The Danish delegation was composed of Ms. Lotte Machon, State Secretary for Development Policy, MFA; Ms. Hanne Stig Anderson, Deputy PS, Ministry of Immigration and Integration; Anders T. Friborg, Special Envoy on Migration; H.E. Nicolaj Petersen, Ambassador of Denmark; Søren Larsen, Financial Expert, Ministry of Immigration and Integration; Dorte Chortsen, Senior Adviser (partnership model) Department for Africa, Policy and Development; Mr. Peter Eilschow Olesen, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Immigration and Integration and Camilla Kjærgaard, Legal Expert, Ministry of Immigration and Integration.