Kigali, 04 December 2018: The Right Honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, informed the Rwandan Parliament, both Chambers, on the Government activities in roads development as planned in the Seven Years Government Program, 2017-2024.

The Right Honorable Prime Minister started his presentation by explaining the importance of roads in the national development, policies, laws and institutions involved in roads development.

Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente revealed that under a seven-year programme from 2017 to 2024, the Government of Rwanda plans to construct 394km of asphalt roads.

They include Ngoma-Bugesera-Nyanza, Huye-Kibeho-Ngoma -Munini, Base-Butaro-Kidaho, Base-Rukomo-Nyagatare, Sonatube-Gahanga- Akagera road towards Bugesera International airport, and Huye-Gisagara.

The Government also plans to rehabilitate 534.8km of national asphalt roads as well as build and repair 350 kilometres of district and town roads across the country.

The Right Honorable Prime Minister further highlighted the road network in Rwanda. The total road network is 38,803.4 Km. The national roads length is 2,749 km. They include 1,379 km of tarmac roads and 1,370 km of gravel roads.

Districts and City of Kigali roads and that of other urban areas both categories (D1 and D2) have the length of 13,565 km. These roads include 232.92 km of tarmac and paved roads whereas the gravel roads have 13,332.08 km. There are also specific and unclassified roads totaling km 22,489.4 (326 km of tarmac roads and 22,163.4 km of gravel roads).

Concerning the national tarmac roads that were rehabilitated from 2011-2018, the Right Honorable Prime Minister mentioned that 276.2 km were rehabilitated. Some of those roads are Kigali - Musanze road of 88 km, Kigali - Gatuna road of 78 km, Rusizi - Crete Congo Nil - Kitabi road of 93.2 km and Karongi-Rubengera road of 17 km. With regard to upgraded feeder roads, the Right Honourable Prime Minister highlighted that from 2013 to June 2018, 2,478 km of feeder roads were constructed and upgraded from the 488 km of 2013.

While explaining plans as detailed in the National Transformation Strategy, 2017-2024, the Right Honorable Prime Minister revealed that various activities will be carried out in constructing, upgrading and maintaining roads. Some of the examples he provided include construction of new 394 km national tarmac roads and the upgrade of 534.8 km tarmac roads.

There is also a plan to construct and upgrade 350 km districts and cities tarmac roads. Whereas 1,085 km of Districts and urban areas gravel roads will be periodically maintained, 1,091 km of national gravel roads will also be maintained.

The Right Honorable Prime Minister concluded his presentation by highlighting some of the challenges hampering roads development in Rwanda, as well strategies adopted by the Government to deal with them.

The Right Honorable Prime Minister ensured the Parliament that the Government shall take into consideration its opinions in improving roads development. He reassured the MPs that the Government will strive to take good care of expropriation processes as it embarks on building the planned roads.