As climate risks intensify across African cities, nature-based solutions (NBS) and green-gray infrastructure (GGI) are emerging as critical tools for building urban resilience. When strategically designed and implemented, these interventions reduce vulnerability to floods and heat, restore ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, and generate tangible social, economic, and public health benefits. According to a 2025 World Resources Institute (WRI) report, new NBS initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa grew at an average annual rate of 15% between 2012 and 2021—signaling strong momentum and growing recognition of their value. The challenge now is sustaining that momentum and embedding NBS within long-term climate and urban development frameworks.

Through its Green-Gray Infrastructure Accelerator, WRI is advancing a cross-sectoral model that integrates natural and built systems while facilitating peer learning across African cities. In Rwanda, this approach has brought together national and local government agencies, development partners, and community stakeholders to implement large-scale urban resilience projects—restoring or planting 2,407 hectares and more than 100,000 trees in just two years. These efforts are aligned with Rwanda’s broader climate resilience and green growth agenda, helping institutionalize NBS within emerging city and national planning processes.

This webinar convenes leaders from the Government of Rwanda, development agencies, and community organizations to explore how cities can move beyond isolated pilot projects toward sustained, policy-driven integration of nature and infrastructure. Participants will gain practical insights into scaling NBS, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and embedding green-gray infrastructure into long-term resilience strategies.