Kigali and the ADHI Group have been jointly recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) with the Global Public-Private Collaboration Award at the Urban Transformation Summit held in San Francisco — the first time an African partnership has received the honour.
The award highlights a partnership between the City of Kigali, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and ADHI Group, which developed an industrialised and sustainable housing model connecting innovation, economic growth, and climate adaptation.
In Kigali, Rwanda, the city’s rapid urbanisation has led to a growing housing gap, pricing many working families out of formal, climate-resilient housing.
The initiative’s centrepiece, the Bwiza Riverside Estate, has been certified EDGE Advanced by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for its use of light concrete, recycled materials, and water management systems that have helped reduce over 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. These reductions are now being converted into carbon credits, linking urban construction with climate finance.
The Rwandan government has provided land and infrastructure, while ADHI invested in modular technology and a factory producing local steel frames, doors and light concrete components.
An on-site academy certifies young Rwandans – 40% of whom are women – in green construction skills. And by employing 100% local labour and engaging small- and medium-sized enterprises in sourcing, the project created 1,000 jobs, including apprenticeships.
“We have demonstrated that sustainable housing can finance itself,” said Soleman Abdi Idd, Chairman of ADHI Group. “Our model combines technological innovation, local manufacturing, youth training, and carbon monetisation. It is the circular economy applied to city building.”
The project reflects a coordinated effort between public and private entities. The City of Kigali provided land and integrated the development into its master plan, while the RDB mobilised investment and financial backing in line with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 and Green Growth Strategy.
ADHI’s work also includes a social dimension, with a technical and vocational education campus on site that trains young Rwandans in modular construction and renewable energy. “Each house is also a classroom,” said Sadiya A. Hassan, Vice President of ADHI Group. “Our youth are not watching the green transition — they are building it.”
Kigali now joins a small group of global cities recognised by the WEF — among them Singapore, Helsinki, Bristol, and Pittsburgh — for advancing inclusive and sustainable urban development.
Several African nations are reportedly studying the ADHI model for potential adoption, viewing it as a blueprint for climate-resilient, locally driven growth.
According to the WEF, the Kigali partnership illustrates how industrialisation and environmental sustainability can reinforce each other, positioning Africa as a contributor to global innovation rather than merely a beneficiary of it.
