WHAT IS RWANDA'S GREEN FUND?
Rwanda's Green Fund (FONERWA) is a groundbreaking environment and climate change fund. Its purpose is to be the engine for the next 50 years of green growth in Rwanda, while serving as a touchstone for Africa and the rest of the world. Its strategy is to provide unheralded technical and financial support to the best public and private projects that align with Rwanda’s commitment to a green economy.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
To respond to Rwanda’s current and future financing needs for environment, climate change, and green growth in order to accelerate goals of national sustainable economic development.
HOW THE FUND WORKS
FONERWA carries out a formalized process of public Calls For Proposals (CFPs) presently scheduled every 6 month. During a one month window of opportunity, applicants submit their project concepts, known as Project Profile Documents (PPDs), developed according to pre-established criteria. All proposals received by stipulated deadline are then taken through a rigorous screening process.
The FONERWA project/programme proposal screening will be carried out in a fair, transparent, competitive multi-step process. This will be overseen by the Fund Management Team (FMT)/Secretariat with ultimate funding decisions made by the Fund Managing Committee (FMC) based on evaluations and recommendations provided by the FMT & Fund Technical Committee FTC.
Investment Priorities
- Ecosystem Rehabilitation
- Sustainable Land Management
- Integrated Water Resources Management
- Sustainable Mining and Quarrying
- Sustainable Forest Management
- Promotion and Protection of Biodiversity
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
- Pollution Management
- Water Storage, Conservation and Irrigation Technologies
- Applied and Adaptive Research (Agro-Forestry, Waste, Urban Planning)
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Data Collection, Monitoring and Management Information Systems (MIS)
- Strategic Environment and Climate Assessments (SECAs)
- Sector specific (or national) adaptation and/or mitigation
- Support to implementation of cross-sectoral integrated planning (e.g. IDP, VUP)
- Monitoring and implementation of environment management plans for capital projects
- Environmental auditing
Progress
Key Documents
The Team
Our Climate Champions
-
Alex MulisaCoordinatora.mulisa@fonerwa.org -
Bright NtareProject Managerb.ntare@fonerwa.org -
Eric KarerangaboKnowledge Management Specialiste.karerangabo@fonerwa.org -
Josephine UwababyeyiFinancial Management Specialistj.uwababyeyi@fonerwa.org -
Vianney BarigyeProcurement Specialistv.barigye@fonerwa.org -
Augustin M. KamanaInternal Auditora.kamana@fonerwa.org -
Vincent KayigemaM&E Specialistv.kayigema@fonerwa.org -
Patrick MutimuraPrivate Sector Specialistp.mutimura@fonerwa.org -
Alain Michel Doricyusa GabiroDistrict Facilitatora.doricyusa@fonerwa.org -
Aidah KamiiniAdministrative Associatea.kamiini@fonerwa.org -
Augustine HitimanaFinancial Management Specialista.hitimana@fonerwa.org
LESSONS LEARNED
Here is what we have come to learn along the way
Initially, applicants were interested in developing and submitting many micro projects that demonstrate limited impact. FONERWA orientation workshops have encouraged applicants to develop more programmatic and integrated projects with the potential for greater impact towards Rwanda’s climate-resilient development needs. This has resulted in projects that are integrated in scope.
While a considerable number of Project Profile Document applications were received in the first call, only 30 have met the standards to proceed to Project Document Level. Only 13 projects have been approved for funding. Based on these lessons, the FMT has acknowledged the critical need for additional technical assistance (TA) to proposal development. A pool of national consultants is being developed to provide additional support to applicants, particularly at the local level.
Delayed disbursement of funds to the approved projects has been a challenge. A range of factors have been identified as causes for the projects initiating implementation that include delays on the part of applicants in incorporating comments from reviewers,
extended time lags in opening a dedicated account for FONERWA funds, and other challenges in project start up processes.
The Fund Management Team has set up measures/deadlines aimed at ensuring timely disbursement and project implementation start up. The FONERWA log frame is increasingly determined to be overly ambitious. When the logframe was agreed in November 2012, it was expected that the milestones were reasonably achievable. In hindsight, the reality has proven that the indicators, targets, and milestones were overly optimistic.
This has led to a proposition for a logical framework review workshop suggested to be held in October 2014 that will take into account the current lessons gleaned from the implementation experience. The need for Government of Rwanda takeover of FONERWA management has led to a development of an exit strategy and a recruitment process of additional staff for sustainability purposes. This will strengthen FONERWA-FMT in providing the full range of support needed to effectively support operations.
OUR PARTNERS
