The funds are included in the 2024/2025 national budget.

Télésphore Ngoga, Conservation Analyst at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), told RBA that the initiative will focus on addressing key challenges such as wildlife encroaching on local communities, providing clean water to residents who currently fetch it from the parks, and reducing overcrowding in schools near the parks.

Since 2005, the government has invested Frw10 billion in projects designed to improve the livelihoods of communities surrounding the national parks, including Volcanoes, Nyungwe, and Akagera parks.

In collaboration with RDB, which oversees tourism, as well as local government entities and nearby communities, more than 880 development projects have been implemented. These include schools, health centers, housing, water infrastructure, and initiatives to boost agricultural productivity.

According to RDB, these efforts not only support environmental conservation but also transform the lives of Rwandans. Many residents near the parks, who previously engaged in harmful activities such as poaching or collecting water from the parks, have since abandoned these practices.

The tourism sector is projected to continue expanding as a key driver of economic growth in Rwanda, with revenues expected to exceed $660 million in 2024, up from $620 million in 2023.

The Government of Rwanda is set to distribute Rwf 4 billion to communities living near the country’s national parks as part of a program aimed at engaging citizens in the conservation of biodiversity.