Marc Manyifika
Lead, Urban Resilience, Africa

Marc Manyifika is the Lead for Urban Resilience at World Resources Institute, Africa, overseeing the Climate Resilience Cities Portfolio across the continent. He joined WRI in 2021 as Rwanda's Country Lead for Urban Water Resilience and Head of the Cities Program. In these roles, Marc worked closely with the cities of Kigali and Musanze, leading efforts to implement climate-resilient city strategies. His work was instrumental in leveraging the WRI Urban Water Resilience Initiative and Cities4Forests to enhance urban climate resilience.
Before joining WRI, Marc served as Director General at the Ministry of Environment in the Government of Rwanda, coordinating policy efforts in Land, Water, and Forestry. He also played a key role in developing Rwanda’s water sector as a leading hydrologist. His research spans various areas, including hydropower development, spatial analysis for water resources management, and sediment fingerprinting, using GIS-based tools combined with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
Marc holds an MSc in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation for Water Resources and Environmental Management (WREM) from the University of Twente in the Netherlands, as well as a BSc in Water and Environmental Engineering from the College of Science and Technology at the University of Rwanda (formerly Kigali Institute of Science and Technology). His expertise in water resources and urban resilience continues to drive impactful, sustainable solutions for cities across Africa.
Insights
Projects
Urban Water Resilience Initiative
Visit ProjectBuilding sustainable, adaptive, resilient urban water systems.
Part of CitiesScaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA)
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectHelping urban communities develop and implement gender-responsive nature-based solutions to address water risks.
Part of CitiesCities4Forests
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectA global alliance of cities acting to conserve, restore and sustainably manage forests and nature to support human well-being.
Part of Cities