Didace Rwabitega, from Burundi, joined the Secretariat as the HydroMet Project Officer where he is in charge of the implementation of the HydroMet Project in nine of the 10 NBI Member States; Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Prior to his appointment at the Secretariat, Mr Rwabitega was Regional HydroMet Coordinator – NELSAP-CU based in Kigali, Rwanda. Mr Rwabitega has also worked at the GEF-implemented project “Watershed Development and Climate Resilience Improvement (PABVARC)” in Burundi as Hydrometeorological Expert and Coordinator. The Project was funded by African Development Bank through the Facility in Favour of Fragile States (FEF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) fundings. The GEF funding mainly aimed at strengthening the capacities of the national Hydrometeorological Department, early warning system through strengthening of the weather forecasting service for improvement in dissemination of regular bulletins useful for decision-making, and capacity building for different stakeholders on climate change adaptation approaches. He also worked for 10 years for the Hydrometeorological Department in Burundi as technical advisor to the Director and was involved in various national working groups and projects of the Ministry in charge of water resources.