Prime Minister: Protecting Nature Is the Path to Peace and Prosperity

Nsengiyumva delivered his message in Washington, D.C., during two major events — one hosted by the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) and another at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium — both of which gathered global policymakers, philanthropists, business leaders and conservation advocates.

“Peace and development cannot endure if we fail to protect the environment on which our people depend,” Nsengiyumva said. “That is why, for nearly 30 years, Rwanda has placed biodiversity conservation at the heart of its national development strategy.”

He pointed to Kwita Izina, Rwanda’s annual gorilla naming ceremony launched two decades ago, as a flagship example of community-led conservation. The mountain gorilla population, once on the brink of extinction, has rebounded to more than 1,000, a fourfold increase attributed to local engagement and sustained protection.

Nsengiyumva also highlighted Akagera National Park as a model of public-private partnership. Since entering a co-management agreement with African Parks 15 years ago, the park’s wildlife population has more than doubled, rising from fewer than 5,000 animals to nearly 12,000. Lions were reintroduced in 2015 after a 20-year absence, followed by black and white rhinos with support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

He stressed that local communities are central to Rwanda’s conservation model. “People living near the parks are the first guardians of wildlife because we ensure they benefit directly from these efforts,” he said.

The prime minister warned that African parks must not become havens for armed groups or criminal networks. “We cannot allow terrorists to use our protected areas to destabilize the region,” he said.

Nsengiyumva reaffirmed Rwanda’s leadership in continental conservation through the Kigali Call to Action for People and Nature, endorsed by African heads of state in 2022, and partnerships such as the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership, which promotes innovation and research.

He thanked the United States and President Donald Trump for supporting regional peace efforts and welcomed the creation of the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation.

Nsengiyumva closed by commending philanthropist Rob Walton for founding the African Conservation Academy in Akagera to train Africa’s next generation of conservation leaders.