Egypt and Rwanda have signed an executive action plan to activate a bilateral memorandum of understanding on water resources management and irrigation, Egypt’s water ministry said on Saturday.
The agreement was finalised during an official visit by Egyptian Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam to Kigali, where he and Rwanda’s Environment Minister Bernadette Arakwu attended the closing session of the joint steering committee meetings for the Water Resources Management and Irrigation Project.
The plan includes development projects designed to address Rwanda’s water needs, such as the drilling of wells and the construction of rainwater-harvesting dams to provide clean drinking water for communities and livestock. It also covers watershed protection to ensure sustainability and water quality, as well as training programmes, capacity building, and expertise exchange between Egyptian and Rwandan specialists.
The meetings reviewed the proposed workplan and agreed on next steps under the memorandum, which was originally signed during a visit by Rwanda’s president to Egypt in September 2025. Committee members, including officials, experts, and representatives from the Egyptian embassy in Kigali, conducted field visits to proposed project sites and met with stakeholders to discuss implementation.
During the visit, Sewilam and Arakwu toured the Nyandungu Eco-Park in Kigali. Sewilam described the park as a leading example of restoring an urban ecosystem and applying nature-based solutions, noting that it demonstrates how environmental considerations can be integrated into urban development to strengthen climate resilience.
Arakwu highlighted Rwanda’s efforts to promote sustainable urban models that balance development and environmental protection.
