Kigali, 19 April 2018- TheMinistry of Infrastructure in partnership with Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) has organized a National Urban Mobility Forum to discuss ways to strengthen the sustainability of urban mobility systems in Rwanda.

The forum which brought together decision-makers, and both local and international technical experts and transport practitioners intends to develop a holistic vision for urban mobility in Rwanda.

In a two-day meeting, participants are discussing urban mobility governance, national government support for urban mobility in secondary cities, multi-modal planning, public transport performance and funding solutions for urban mobility improvements.

Under the meeting, participants aim to reach broad consensus about the challenges that the country faces, and work towards concrete solutions and agree actions to be implemented.

While opening the meeting, the Minister of State in Charge of Transport, Hon. Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye said that the urban mobility and accessibility is a complex challenge in Kigali and include traffic jam and time lost among others.

He said that in secondary cities, there is roads safety and time spent walking challenges.

Uwihanganye said that addressing all these challenges require mobilization of multidisciplinary means cutting across several areas.

“This forum has thus invited key stakeholders to support in the design of broad and holistic framework that will respond to the complexity of the challenges at hand,” he said.

He said that Rwanda has achieved a lot in terms of urban development like significant improvements to Kigali’s road network, strong inter-governmental relations, major efforts at public transport reform and improvement and the city master plan which directs planning and development of transport.

 “Even we still have a lot to do, I expect that productive interactions about urban mobility issues from this forum will determine key areas which need the country’s attention so that our cities become examples in Africa and especially in the region about successful urban mobility.” He concluded.