News
Media release: 18 August 2026
IRC becomes Riva, launching a new network of nationally led organisations
Riva announces changes to drive local legitimacy and global reach
IRC becomes Riva, launching a new network of nationally-led organisations
Kigali, Rwanda. 18 August 2026. IRC, the international development agency building strong water, sanitation and hygiene systems, today announced its evolution into Riva: a federation of independently led member organisations working across essential public services. The change was announced at the Africa Water & Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium in Kigali, an event co-convened by the Republic of Rwanda and the African Ministers’ Council on Water before government ministers, sector
leaders and partners from across Africa and beyond.
Five member organisations – in Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, the Sahel and the Netherlands – now operate under local leadership, each led by its own CEO and with Riva Rwanda also in development. They are supported by a secretariat led by Patrick Moriarty as Secretary General, with Vida Duti, CEO of Riva Ghana, as Deputy Secretary General. The same people and expertise now sit under local ownership, with a bigger mandate.
Dr. Patrick Moriarty, Secretary General, Riva, said
The world has changed, and so have we. But this isn’t completely new: we’ve been building it for more than a decade. As part of systems inside countries, with governments, rather than an outside provider. Strengthening our connections beyond water and sanitation. We’re now making that change visible. Riva is the next stage of a journey we’ve been on for over a decade.
Patrick Moriarty, Secretary General, Riva Network
Ms Wambui Gichuri, Chair, Riva Global Network Board and Riva Netherlands Supervisory Board said:
“We’ll continue to work with nation builders: presidents, ministers, experts, civil servants and civic leaders. In partnership with other civil society organisations, the private sector and funders - building essential public services that last. Water and sanitation remain Riva’s foundation: our history, expertise, and proof of concept. They also underpin the wider systems that nations depend on - health, economic development, and climate. Our work now extends across these systems, enabling nations to thrive.
Wambui Gichuri, Chair, Supervisory Board, Riva Network
Media contact
Petra Brussee | brussee@riva.org | +31 70 304 40 43
Notes to editors
- About Riva: Riva – formerly IRC – is a federation of locally led, globally connected member organisations working with nation builders to strengthen the systems behind essential public services. More at www.riva.org
- Riva’s new leadership team are: Patrick Moriarty (Secretary General); Vida Duti, CEO of Riva Ghana (Deputy Secretary General); Jane Nabunnya, CEO of Riva Uganda; Lemessa Mekonta, CEO of Riva Ethiopia; Juste Nansi, CEO of Riva Sahel and Director of Riva Africa; Stef Smits, CEO of Riva Netherlands; Ruchika Shiva, Director of Global and Regional Programmes. More about the team.
- A longer explainer from Patrick Moriarty on how the network functions – governance, membership, the role of the secretariat – is available on request for background/editorial use, and features on the Network home page www.riva.org.
- High-resolution images, a Riva brand film, and videos of Patrick Moriarty, Secretary General, and Vida Duti, Deputy Secretary General, are available on request.