In line with Africa Protected Areas Conference (APAC) hosted by Rwanda,  the German Minister of Environment, Steffi Lemke, along with other officials including IUCN Director General Dr. Bruno Oberle, Acting Director General of Rwanda Forestry Authority, among others visited some of the restoration efforts through the ongoing Alliance for Restoration of Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems in Africa AREECA programme and the previous Investment Packages for Rwanda (IPR) project - both funded by BMU in Kirehe and Gatsibo districts.

In two-day visit, the officials in Kirehe visited Bukora Secondary School in Nyamugari sector where the programme established agroforestry systems with focus on youth and young people engagement. They then toured an afforestation site in Nyarubuye sector where the government is restoring 120 Ha of degraded lands through the same programme.

The Gatsibo visit provided an opportunity to reflect on the catalytic contributions made by the German government between 2016 and 2018 in supporting restoration efforts in Rwanda and the continent at large through IPR project.

In here remarks, the Honourable Minister Steffi Lemke applauded the efforts of Rwanda in forestry sector especially in these districts.

“The conservation of our ecosystem and our forests is of utmost importance to me and I’m delighted to see with my own eyes that Germany was able to support afforestation projects” Lemke said

The acting Director General of Rwanda Forestry Authority(RFA), Spridio Nshimiyimana, appreciated the BMU's contribution in forestry sector through these two projects and stated them as worthy to the citizens.

“Not only did these projects come to restore the ecosystem and forests in the area, but also to contribute in job creation, and the planted trees also are worthy to the residents in one way or another.”  Acting Director General Spridio said

The acting Director General added that in environmental projects the citizens take the first step in implementation where they benefit from the beginning up to the end.

The AREEACA is a four years project up to 2024, and it aims to restore the ecological functionality and biological productivity of the landscapes of the districts of Kirehe and Nyagatare to enhance its ability to adequately meet multiple objectives such as biodiversity conservation, climate change resilience and better livelihoods whereas IPR was phased out in 2018 and planted forests, and agroforestry in Gatsibo district.

Minister Lemke, IUCN DG, RFA acting DG, REMA DG and other delegates

Agroforestry in Gatsibo-Gabiro