PlanAdapt Arrives in Rwanda! – Shaping the Next Generation of Rwandan Professionals and Their Skills and Competencies to Manage Climate Risks for the Benefit of Climate Vulnerable Families and Households
PlanAdapt is driven by the collaborators who ‘earn, learn and grow together’ under the roof of our innovative organisational model.
As a platform for Fellows with professional ambitions in climate adaptation and climate risk management, the organization continuously and organically grows. So far, it has been a global decentralized model with a coordination hub and individual Fellows in over 25 countries.
We are proud to announce that we have registered an affiliate in Rwanda, as a first endeavor to support entrepreneurial Rwandan professionals to run a country chapter of PlanAdapt, benefitting from the existing organisational infrastructure (including the collective expertise and experiences from projects and initiatives in many other countries) and networks at international level. The activities will focus on:
- Supporting the growth of a professional cadre and their skills in integrating and dealing with climate impacts in various sectors, e.g. public health, agriculture; with the aim of shaping the next generation of CCA / CRM professionals in Rwanda;
- Working alongside with research actors and institutions to integrate research-for-impact and knowledge brokering approaches;
- Providing capacity development support (focused on skills and competencies that are essential to manage climate risks) to organisations that work in climate-sensitive sectors in Rwanda; and
- Spreading awareness of the benefits of inclusive and effective climate adaptation policies, strategies, projects and measures.
PlanAdapt will collaborate with essential institutions in the:
- Public Sector, e.g. Ministry of Environment, REMA (Rwanda Environment Management Authority)
- Funding Organisations (Rwanda Green Fund)
- Research Institutes (Global Green Growth Institute Rwanda, Vanguard Economics, various Rwandan Universities);
- Implementers (e.g. One Acre Fund); and
- Educational Institutions (University of Kigali, University of Rwanda etc.)
The Rwanda Country Chapter represents PlanAdapt’s alternative to a somehow outdated model of fly-in-fly-out consulting and advisory services that have dominated approaches in development and international cooperation for a long time. While we foster a global community of experts, researchers and knowledge brokers, the external (often Global Northern) colleagues would change role and become advisors, mentors and backstoppers to national experts. Instead of flying in for delivery-focused short-term visits during which little capacity is retained in the country, other than the deliverable which often has a limited level of ownership.
We aim to connect Rwandan individuals and organisations to relevant regional and global initiatives (e.g. piggy-backing on PlanAdapt’s networks and alliances) for the benefit of their professional pathways as experts, researchers and knowledge brokers in the area of CCA and CRM.
Our work in Rwanda will be guided by the Revised Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (2022, see video), the National Climate and Nature Finance Strategy of Rwanda 2024-2030 and related strategies.
Please do get in touch if you work in Rwanda and share the same goals and ambitions!