From the  19^th -20^th February 2014 - The Ministry of Infrastructure in collaboration with the

Ministry of Local Government and Rwanda Housing Authority launched a 2-days kick-off

workshop geared towards planning and development of Secondary Cities development as

“poles of growth” in Rwanda. The meeting brought together the representatives from the

above mentioned institutions, different partners, University Lecturers and Students, Mayors, Vice-Mayors and Technical Experts from the six Secondary Cities of Muhanga, Huye, Rusizi, Musanze, Rubavu and Nyagatare. The UN-Habitat and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) representatives currently providing support in urban planning sector also participated.

The workshop aimed at assessing the existing status of secondary cities and strategically forging the way forward for their respective sustainable planning and development. This comes from the fact that the Government of Rwanda has attached a very high importance to promoting urbanization as a strategy to transform the economy of the Country. Thereupon, the development of Secondary Cities that are entitled “poles of growth” in EDPRS II should support the need to achieving an economic growth of 11.5% per annum as targeted by the national government. Thus, new programs are now being developed and are considered as a quick wins to achieving the ambitious targets prescribed in EDPRS II which includes the expected increase to the rate of urbanization from the current 18% to 35% by 2020.

Furthermore, the workshop was set to explore and harmonize the thinking and understanding of urbanization and to discuss the proposed programs for the sustainable urban planning and development of the six major secondary cities. In order to achieve the urbanization targets, this requires an improved spatial planning, developing a socio-economic development strategy on a regional level and preparing all conditions necessary to facilitate growth, including the master plans and urban management. In this regard, the meeting focused on some important elements that are lacking in the current masters plans to fit in the context of secondary cities development. District Plans and Local Urban Development Plans are based upon normal, natural growth rate, and hardly focused on strategic intervention and sustainability. As this workshop aims to make cities grow faster than they would normally do, new plans are needed.

Discussions made on the planned master plans in the secondary cities specifically dwelled on issues in these secondary cities and set proper mechanisms needed to be put in place to ensure a sustainable urbanization. This program that is just starting will continue throughout the forthcoming months with a review of master plans and development of planned city extensions for investment attraction and sustainability being one of the expected outcomes.