Freshwaters of Africa’s Great Lakes Under Mounting Threat: Experts and Officials Call for “Evidence-Based Policy” at Kigali Meeting

KIGALI, Feb. 4, 2026 — Scientists, government officials, and researchers gathered in Kigali this week for the opening of the African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE) Annual Meeting.

The high-level assembly seeks to align scientific knowledge with governance to safeguard the African Great Lakes, one of the planet’s most critical freshwater reserves.

While the region holds roughly a quarter of the Earth’s freshwater, experts warn that pollution, climate change, and ecosystem degradation are outpacing current management efforts.

A “Central Pillar” of Development

Hosting the annual meeting for the first time, Rwanda emphasized that the health of these lakes is not merely an environmental concern, but a matter of national stability.

Eric Mudakikwa Ruhanamirindi, the Division Manager of Environment Analytics and Lake Kivu Monitoring at the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority (REMA), opened the proceedings on behalf of REMA Director General Juliet Kabera. He described the event as a “significant milestone” for the country.

Addressing the assembly, Mr. Ruhanamirindi stressed that for Rwanda, environmental protection is a “central pillar of our national development agenda.”

“The African Great Lakes system are not only ecological treasures; they are pillars of livelihood, food security, energy production, and regional stability,” Ruhanamirindi said. “Managing this shared resource requires more than national effort. It requires strong partnership, harmonized data, and a common vision grounded in science and translated into effective policy.”

Highlighting concrete steps toward this vision, Ruhanamirindi announced that REMA and ACARE had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2025, cementing a mutual commitment to advancing research and supporting regular monitoring.

Complex Threats: From Farms to Pharmaceuticals

Despite these commitments, the challenges facing the lakes are largely human-driven. Participants noted that agricultural runoff and contaminant pollution are undermining water quality and fisheries that millions depend on.

Pauline Gerrard, Executive Director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Experimental Lakes Area, highlighted the complexity of modern pollutants, such as pharmaceutical residues entering waterways through untreated waste.

“These are complex problems with no single solution,” Gerrard explained. “We need medicine to keep us healthy… [but] they’re not completely used up in our body, they’re excreted in our waste, they’re not treated in wastewater treatment plants, and they end up in lakes and rivers downstream.”

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Policy

The persistence of environmental decline despite scientific warnings prompted a central question at the conference: “What is missing?”

ACARE Executive Director Dr. Ted Lawrence argued that the “missing link” is the slow translation of scientific data into trusted political action. He noted that while North America took two decades to effect meaningful policy change for its Great Lakes, Africa must accelerate this process.

“The gap is needing to build up enough legitimacy of each of the African Great Lakes advisory groups, to build up the scientific information and then the trust of the decision makers to use that information,” Dr. Lawrence said.

Mr. Ruhanamirindi echoed this sentiment in his opening remarks, calling for “sound science and evidence-based policy” as the only way to manage resources shared across borders. He urged the experts present to use the platform to “agree on concrete pathways that will inform policy, strengthen management decisions, and safeguard our lakes for future generations.”

A Vital Resource for 80 Million

The stakes of the meeting are high. The African Great Lakes—including Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Turkana, Albert, Edward, and Kivu—sustain more than 80 million people across ten countries, including Rwanda, Tanzania, DR Congo, and Kenya.

Organizers hope the Kigali meeting will result in a coordinated five-year strategic plan to guide research and governance through 2030, ensuring that the “slowly, slowly” approach of the past is replaced by decisive, science-led leadership.