The Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat has announced that a funds mobilization process is ongoing for the Rwanda-Brundi Akanyaru Multipurpose Water Resources Development project. This process is backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (IPPF).
The project involves the construction of a dam near Akanyaru River with capacity to produce nearly 333 million cubic metres of water for irrigation to serve 846,000 people. Furthermore, it seeks to supply potable water to 614,200 people in Burundi and Rwanda and irrigate 12,474 hectares of farmlands in both countries. The project is also expected to generate 14.5MW of hydro-electric power, which will power 141,111 homes.
In addition to power generation, water supply and irrigation, the project will contribute to the development of other auxiliary water uses such as livestock development, employment creation, flood control, environmental protection and watershed management. The project also includes restoration of degraded watersheds upstream of the dam.
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Nile Basin Initiative
The Akanyaru project is part of the Nile River Basin investment programme, a joint initiative between Rwanda and Burundi. Both countries are members of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a partnership that brings together 10 countries linked to the River Nile and these are; Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The Akanyaru Multipurpose Water Resources Development project is one of many trans-boundary investment projects in the Nile Basin that requires sustainable use of water resources. Another project is the Rusumo Falls Hydropower plant which is currently 72% complete. This particular project is expected to generate 75MW of electricity to the benefit of Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
