On Thursday, in partnership with the University of Rwanda, School of Architecture, the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA) exhibited the master plan of the Green City Project expected to be implemented in 2020.
The Green City Project is a sustainable urban development initiative launched by Green Fund and endorsed by Germany in Rwanda through KfW, a German state-owned development bank with the goal of constructing a green, environmentally sustainable city in Kinyinya Sector, Gasabo District in Kigali City.
Based on the green city project Kigali as a case study, the University of Rwanda hosted a three- week Summer School on sustainable urban development with the theme “Kigali as a Sustainable City.”
The final exhibition was held at the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE) on Thursday, July 25, 2019.
Hubert Ruzibiza, CEO of FONERWA said they chose to collaborate with the University of Rwanda, School of Architecture because they want to enhance knowledge, skills and competencies in sustainable urban development through joint project activities such as teaching, training and capacity building.
“Capacity building is important and so are sustainability and continuity,” he noted.
“The city will also be a model for secondary cities such as Muhanga and the Rubavu area. So beyond the Kinyinya project, they will also have other projects,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ruzibiza clarified that the project will not relocate the inhabitants from the fields where the master plan will be enforced.
“It is up to the authorities of the City of Kigali and ministries in charge, but the idea is really to allow everyone to stay and remain but by adopting the sustainable principle.”
With regard to employment, it will certainly generate a lot of employment, according to Ruzibiza, who also says that predicting how many will be produced at this point is a bit sooner because they want to wait for the feasibility study to be processed in the next six months so they can offer accurate figures.
“We have some indicative figures in terms of investment size, some initial investment is around $400 million but it can go very high to billions of dollars,” said Ruzibiza.
He added that the project is anticipated to be implemented around October 2020, but the financing problem must first be addressed.
Dorothea Groth, Head of Development Cooperation at the Federal Republic of Germany Embassy in Rwanda, said they needed youth exchange, fresh thoughts and visions.
“Working with students of the University of Rwanda is a good start for the project. The future will need experts to implement more of such projects,” she said.
Meanwhile, for low- and middle- income inhabitants in Kigali, the Green City area will be environmentally sustainable.
The project will serve as a blueprint for sustainable urban development that combines affordable housing with adaptation to climate change and mitigation.