On 25–28 November, the Kick-off Meeting of the PanAfGeo+ Project, Country Window Rwanda, was held in Kigali. The leader of this task is the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PGI-NRI), and the beneficiary is the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB).

The first day of the meeting at the Marriott Hotel included a conference during which signed the Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to implement the above-mentioned Project. The scope of cooperation was strictly defined in the entire PanAfGeo+ Project, signed in December 2024 by the project leader, the French Geological Survey (BRGM), and DG INTPA EU, which is financing the project.

The agreement was signed by Barbara Akaliza, Director of the Geohazards Department at RMB, and Prof. Stanisław Wołkowicz, representing PGI-RNI, on behalf of the Director of PGI-RNI, Prof. Krzysztof Szamałek

The scope of cooperation between PGI-NRI and RMB includes:

• Acquisition of field data, conducting geological surveys and monitoring geological hazards using advanced technologies such as seismic methods, GNSS, remote sensing, gas analysis and thermal monitoring;
• Establishing and managing national geological and geohazard databases, including the inventory and assessment of post-flotation and mining waste;
• Strengthening the infrastructure for monitoring, surveillance and early warning of geological hazards through the expansion and modernisation of monitoring networks and observatories; establishing early warning systems for geological hazards, including public alert mechanisms and emergency response planning;
• Organising joint technical workshops, training courses and capacity-building programmes for RMB staff, mine operators and relevant stakeholders;
• Coordinating technical exchange missions, partnership initiatives and joint research projects between Participants and with Third Parties (such as the implementation of the Rwanda Country Window under the PanAfGeo+ programme, with a particular focus on geological hazard management and post-mining and post-production waste management);
• Supporting the RMB in public communication, dissemination of results and community education on geological hazards and sustainable mining;
• Designing and implementing environmental monitoring and post-mining land reclamation programmes, with a particular focus on land reclamation and sustainable ecosystem restoration;
• Cooperating with governmental, academic and international organisations to exchange knowledge, transfer technology and mobilise funds;
• Other forms of cooperation that the Participants may mutually agree upon.

Areas of cooperation include:

• Economic geology and mineral resources;
• Research and monitoring of geological hazards;
• Environmental geology;
• Geological cartography;
• Reclamation of mining areas;
• Geological knowledge and education.

Event participants

Text and photos: Stanisław Wołkowicz, Radomir Pachytel