About 61% of district development strategies have considered priorities in Rwanda’s $12 billion climate action plan, known as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0, a new study shows. The study, conducted by Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda) in May 2026, assessed 10 districts: Gisagara, Ngoma, Ngororero, Nyanza, Nyagatare, Nyaruguru, Nyamagabe, Rusizi, Ruhango and Rutsiro. ALSO READ: Rwanda to benefit from $200m facility for climate adaptation in agriculture It examined policy integration, planning and budgeting, sectoral mainstreaming, climate data and planning systems, governance and inclusion, institutional capacity, and climate finance. The findings were released on September 10 during a national dialogue in Kigali on the effective integration and implementation of NDC 3.0 in district plans. “Aligning NDC 3.0 priorities with district development strategies is essential for localising climate action and strengthening community resilience and sustainable development outcomes,” said Bruce Gashema, senior researcher at TI-Rwanda. Rwanda’s climate action plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 53%, equivalent to 14.86 million tonnes, by 2035, while strengthening resilience to the effects of climate change. The country needs $12 billion to implement the plan between 2025 and 2035. ALSO READ: Lawmakers back bankable green projects to attract climate finance About $7 billion is expected to finance adaptation measures to build resilience against climate-related effects such as floods and droughts, while $5 billion will support mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Jean Pierre Nizeyimana, a green economy specialist at the Ministry of Environment, said 82% of the required financing would come from external sources, while 18% would come from domestic resources. “Instruments for finance mobilisation include domestic fiscal leverage, programmatic approaches, blended finance vehicles, capital and carbon markets, international access and guarantees,” he said. Varying levels of integration into districts’ plans The study found that NDC 3.0 priorities were “likely substantially integrated” at 60%, meaning they are included to a large extent in district planning, budgeting and implementation. Climate finance recorded the highest level of consideration at 70%, followed by forestry and land use at 67.5%. Agriculture and national mitigation priorities each stood at 62.5%, while water resources and health adaptation recorded 60%. ALSO READ: 10% of 2026/27 budget to go to climate resilience projects Disaster risk management recorded 55%, while urbanisation and settlements stood at 50%. Mining and loss-and-damage data systems recorded the lowest levels of consideration, at 35% and 30%, respectively. The findings highlight gaps in integrating climate-compliance measures and systems for tracking climate-related losses and damages at district level. Apollinaire Mupiganyi, Executive Director of TI-Rwanda, said national climate commitments would only have a meaningful impact if they were translated into local plans, budgets and projects. “Climate commitments made by the government only become real when they are planned, budgeted and delivered, especially at the local level. District development strategies are where national ambition meets citizens’ daily lives,” he said. He warned that corruption risks in climate-funded projects and limited citizen participation in decentralised climate governance and budgeting could worsen the effects of climate change on communities. He called for stronger accountability as Rwanda translates its national climate commitments into local development actions. Recommendations The study recommends developing sector-specific NDC guidelines that incorporate climate targets, risk measures, indicators and budgets into sector plans. ALSO READ: 10 ways Rwanda is spending on climate adaptation in new budget It also calls for NDC-aligned monitoring and evaluation frameworks, regular performance reviews, and stronger participation by women, young people and persons with disabilities in Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) and community climate-planning forums. To address environmental compliance gaps, the study recommends systematic Environmental Impact Assessment screenings, regular inspections, enforcement of approved mitigation measures and sanctions for non-compliance. For sectors with uneven integration, such as mining, transport, urbanisation, energy, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), the study recommends clearer sector-specific climate guidelines. ALSO READ: How climate change effects are leaving farmers vulnerable It also recommends integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and climate data into planning, conducting vulnerability assessments and operationalising early-warning systems. The study calls for continuous capacity-building in climate planning, budgeting, risk screening, project design, and monitoring and evaluation. It also recommends prioritising green projects, identifying climate-finance opportunities, and institutionalising climate budget tagging and expenditure tracking. Districts were also advised to establish standardised systems to record, quantify and report climate-related losses and damages. Charles Rushisha, a local government inspection specialist at the Ministry of Local Government, said districts should incorporate climate actions into their development strategies, annual action plans and budgets, Imihigo performance contracts, land-use and settlement plans, infrastructure projects, agriculture and livestock programmes, water and sanitation services, social protection programmes, disaster-risk management, environmental protection and community mobilisation. Greening the Community Scorecard Norbert Habineza, Project Coordinator at Tubibe Amahoro, said the Greening the Community Score Card could help integrate climate priorities into district development plans. The tool enables communities to assess how development activities address environmental and climate concerns. “Citizens identify service and environmental issues affecting them and agree on priority actions. Officials are not present when the agenda is set by residents. Directors of units then respond to the consolidated evidence,” he said. For example, residents may report that cooking on traditional three-stone fires creates smoke in their homes and that firewood is becoming harder to access. This could lead to the prioritisation of efficient cookstoves and clean-cooking programmes. Thadée Twagirimana, Director General for Environment and Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, said tools such as the scorecard could give citizens a stronger role in monitoring climate action. “They give citizens the means to hold implementation to account and to be heard when it falls short,” he said. He added that everyday actions such as terracing hillsides, planting agroforestry plots, adopting climate-smart crop varieties and conserving wetlands contribute to NDC 3.0 targets. Francis Hirwa, Acting Executive Director of the Faith Victory Association, said district authorities should have clear plans and measures to ensure that NDC implementation is prioritised and reflected in their performance contracts.
