Rwanda's $300M Dam Project Ends Drought for 450,000 People

For Valens Ndakaza, watching his crops wither year after year felt like watching his future disappear. The agricultural advisor from Kayonza district tried everything to save his community's harvests, but the sky simply stopped cooperating.

Three consecutive years of severe drought turned Kayonza, Rwanda's second largest district, into a place where 450,000 people lived on emergency food relief despite having some of the country's most fertile soil. But that's about to change in a big way.

The district is now building the Gishanda dam, a $6 million project that will store one million cubic meters of water and irrigate 200 hectares of farmland. At 30% complete, the dam uses solar powered pumps to move water uphill, then distributes it downhill through irrigation taps installed directly in farmers' fields.

The system will support 560 farmers growing avocados and mangoes, and a nursery with over 100,000 seedlings is already operational through a partnership with Rwanda's Ministry of Defence. By August, when construction finishes, these families will never again watch helplessly as their crops die.

But the Gishanda dam is just the beginning. The district plans to irrigate an additional 4,000 hectares by drawing water from Lakes Nasho, Kibare, and Ihema, with construction starting in early 2027 and planting beginning that September.

"We are committed to ensuring widespread access to water, with the goal of making drought a thing of the past," says Theogene Uwitonze, the project manager. Studies are complete, contracts awarded, and once finished, these 4,000 hectares will permanently solve food security issues for the region.

The Ripple Effect

The transformation extends far beyond just water access. Kayonza's $300 million irrigation investment, being implemented in phases through 2031, includes fruit tree planting, soil conservation, and promotion of climate resilient crops like improved sweet potato and cassava.

The district's development strategy aims to increase fertilizer use from 67.6% to 89.1% and achieve full coverage of improved seeds by 2029. Additional projects include the Kanyeganyege dam and private investor partnerships to maximize wetland usage.

For farmers like Ndakaza, the change means moving from survival mode to planning mode. "Once we have this dam, we will irrigate whenever necessary," he says. "We expect to increase production and change our way of life."

Officials believe these climate adaptation efforts could transform Kayonza into one of Rwanda's major food baskets. As Uwitonze puts it, when farmers control water, they control their harvest, and when harvests are stable, families can finally plan for the future instead of praying for rain.