BY GEORGE KAGAME
The government is currently sourcing for funds to begin construction works on a new road linking Gisenyi in the western province to Bujumbura in Burundi.
This was revealed by Vincent Gatwa@@@@, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Infrastructure to the press on Monday, “the new road will improve transportation of goods and people connecting to Bujumbura (and Goma), it will also increase access between the two cities for travelers interested different activities like tourism.”
He said construction will begin 2010.
Gatwa@@ added that the road will enhance the fast tracking of Rwanda and Burundi into the East African Community on top of improving the business environment on the Northern Corridor Transport System.
According to sources from the Ministry of Finance and economic planning, the road will cost USD: 618m and funds for its construction will be sourced from the African Development Bank, World Bank, European Union, OPEC, Saudi Fund and others.
The Northern Corridor Transport System has been hailed by many observers as being important to the economic transformation of the Great Lakes Region. The corridor connects Rwanda and Burundi with the coast through Uganda and Kenya, instead of the shorter but very poorly developed connexion through Tanzania.
The corridor also hosts the extremely fertile soils for agriculture spanning the entire western Rwanda, Eastern Congo and South Western Uganda. Gisenyi and its surrounding area is agriculturally productive and nearby Ruhengeri remains the food basket of Rwanda.
Gatwa@@@ said government was set to hold a roundtable meeting with donors on 16-17 this month to discuss the road.
When completed this will be the third highway road connecting Rwanda and Burundi, the first goes through Butare in the Southern Province, the second through Nyamata in the eastern province and is in its completion stages (from the Rwanda side, the Burundi side is yet to start.)
Bosco Ndahimana a food trader in Musanze welcomed the Gisenyi=Bujumbura road saying that he will be able to maximize his Fuso trucks properly as he will be able to sell agricultural produce to Burundi and that competition for the Kigali market will also reduce.
Rwanda has in recent times embarked on a serious campaign in setting up structures to ease the free movement of goods and services in East Africa after the failure to deepen regional economic integration. Last Month, Rwanda hosted President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya who scrapped working permits for Rwandans seeking jobs in Kenya as well increasing working hours of the crucial Mombassa seaport and Gatuna boarder post.
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