More than Rwf23 billion has been invested in nearly 1,300 community projects through Rwanda’s Tourism Revenue Sharing Programme, supporting communities living around protected areas, according to the Rwanda Nature Foundation (RNF).
The figure represents an increase from more than Rwf18 billion invested in over 1,000 projects reported in 2025.
The programme allocates 10 per cent of tourism revenue to community development projects in areas surrounding Rwanda’s protected areas.
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Eugene Mutangana, Executive Secretary of RNF, disclosed the latest figures during a press briefing on August 11 ahead of the 21st edition of Kwita Izina.
He said the investments have supported projects in education, healthcare, water infrastructure and livelihoods.
Mutangana said the programme is based on the principle that communities living closest to protected areas should participate in and benefit from conservation.
"Conservation is most sustainable when the people living closest to our protected areas participate in and benefit from their success,” he said.
The revenue-sharing programme is part of Rwanda’s conservation model, which seeks to link tourism and wildlife protection with socio-economic development in communities surrounding protected areas.
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The latest investment comes as the tourism sector continues to grow. Mutangana said national parks recorded 155,394 visits in 2025, generating $40.8 million in park revenues.
He said continued investment in conservation and surrounding communities will be critical to ensuring tourism growth contributes to the long-term sustainability of protected areas.
Impact around Volcanoes
The impact of tourism revenue sharing is particularly visible in communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park, according to Northern Province Governor Maurice Mugabowagahunde.
He said tourism around the park has created jobs, expanded business opportunities and improved access to markets, while encouraging communities to take a greater role in conservation.
"From 2005 to date, 738 projects worth approximately Rwf8 billion have been implemented in sectors surrounding the national park. This is part of what we call revenue sharing,” he said.
The projects have supported agriculture and livestock farming, infrastructure, clean water, schools, health centres and housing for vulnerable people, Mugabowagahunde said.
He said the investments have also helped transform the relationship between communities and conservation, with residents increasingly viewing the protection of the park as being in their own interest.
"One of the things we are proud of is that communities have moved from simply being observers to becoming partners in protecting our park,” he said.
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"Today, many communities see the conservation of the park as protecting their own interests and those of their children, which motivates them to play an active role in its protection,” he added.
Tourism drives local development
Beyond direct community projects, Mugabowagahunde said tourism has contributed to wider economic development in Musanze and other parts of Northern Province.
"In recent years, cities such as Musanze have experienced significant development, with the number of hotels continuing to increase. The number of hotels with at least one star has now surpassed 50,” he said.
He also pointed to increased business activity and infrastructure development, including the construction and rehabilitation of roads.
These include roads within Musanze town, the Kidaho-Butaro road in Burera District, the road from Base in Rulindo District through Gicumbi to Nyagatare, and the newly paved Nyacyonga-Mukoto road.
The developments, he said, demonstrate the wider economic benefits of tourism and conservation beyond the protected areas themselves.