On 5th April GGGI Rwanda together with the National Designated Authority (NDA) and the National Coordination Team (NCT) undertook a mission to Nyagatare, one of the secondary cities where the GCF is supporting the incorporation of low emission and resilience strategies in the Master Plan revision though the Readiness and Preparatory support project. The City Conceptual Development plan stakeholder consultation took place in Nyagatare, organized by GGGI in collaboration with Rwanda Housing Authority and Nyagatare District
This activity is a follow up to the two previous activities organized by GGGI Rwanda in strengthening the capacity of the NDA. Earlier this year, GGGI delivered a workshop for Mainstreaming Green City Development in the National Designated Authority (NDA) Resource Mobilization from Green Climate Fund (GCF) addressed to NDA and NCT members and representatives from ministries and agencies with high impact in the development of urban areas. Prior the mission to Nyagatare, GGGI invited the planning contractor to describe to the NDA and NCT members the Secondary Cities Master Plan revision process. This meeting enabled the NDA and NCT members to oversee the elaboration and implementation of the Master Plans and ensure the new Master Plans incorporate low emission and resilience strategies for a green city development.
The stakeholder consultation was convened for the Rwanda Housing Authority and the planning contactor to present and validate the new conceptual City Development Plan. The mission of the NDA and NCT’s members was to ensure the monitoring process of the Master Plan revision process and one of the activities aimed at increasing the capacity of the NDA and NCT members in Green City Development for further resource mobilization from GCF and other climate finance opportunities.
The Government of Rwanda (GoR) through the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) and in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is supporting the Secondary Cities in the review of their Master Plans with the overarching goal of supporting their development as Green Cities.
GGGI’s role in supporting the government stakeholders to achieve this initiative falls under the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The outcomes of the programme will provide the GoR and Nyagatare secondary city, with clear tools and strategies enabling it to operationalize the National Roadmap for Green Secondary Cities Development, implementation of the National Urbanization policy; as part of the implementation of NDCs, focusing on both climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes. GGGI, as GCF delivery partner, is supporting the National Designated Authority (NDA) and the National Coordination Team (NCT) to oversee the elaboration and implementation of these Master Plans and the consequent green investment opportunities that arise. A major component of this support is the monitoring process of the Master Plan revision process of the secondary cities.
The National Designed Authorities (NDA) is the government institution that serve as the interface between each country and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), in Rwanda the NDA is Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA). The NDA provides strategic oversight of the GCF’s related activities in the country and communicate the country’s priorities for financing low-emission and climate-resilient development. In support of project evaluation for the release of no-objection letter from the NDA, an inter-ministerial team was set up. The National Coordination Team (NCT) is composed by representatives of Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) who is the chair of the NCT, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) who is the co-chair of the NCT, and permanent members such as representatives of the Ministry of Environment, who is the only GCF National Accredited Entity (AE) and representatives from other miniseries and government agencies.
The NDA capacity is strengthened in Green City Development as part of the GGGI support in delivering GCF Readiness and Preparatory support. For this purpose, the NDA and NCT members have been closely following up with the Master Plan revision process to ensure that Rwanda`s secondary cities are following a low emission development path supporting the country in meeting their NDCs. In addition, two of the NDA officers and one AE officer are supported by GGGI Rwanda for undertaking a GCF proposal writing training, with the revised master plans to provide indication on the priority strategies to be implemented in line with the GCF focus areas to ensure eligibility for climate finance.