An aerial view
of Kigali’s Central Business District. At least 68,000 people migrate
from rural Rwanda to Kigali every year, calling for more investment in
infrastructure development. / Photo: Emmanuel Kwizera.
With at least 68,000 people migrating from rural Rwanda to Kigali every year, the need for more investment in infrastructure development to cater for their mobility and shelter is rising.
Thus, an estimated 35,000 housing units are needed every year.
Moreover, the City of Kigali currently supplies less than 10 per cent of the demand, limiting access to affordable housing to low and middle-income earners.
The average income for a Rwandan is estimated at Rwf372,000 per year or just Rwf30,000 per month. And with the settlement policy stipulating that housing expenditure of over 50 per cent of one’s income is not affordable, many leave beyond their means.
As a result, the majority of the population are sheltered in indecent conditions in old slums.
In a bid to keep pace with the rapid urbanisation, 80 per cent of the Rwf100 billion City of Kigali budget is reserved for infrastructure development, mainly to provide decent affordable accommodation and convenient transportation for citizens, says city authorities.
City of Kigali Mayor Pudence Rubingisa. Photo: File.
Among other challenges, experts last week raised concerns related to the mismatch between the city development project and population growth.
Prof. Sir. Paul Collier, the Chairperson of the City of Kigali Advisory Committee, said that for the
fourth time since it was initiated in 2017, the Committee has been aligning its development plans to the country’s overall strategy, the latest being the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1).
Pudence Rubingisa, the City Mayor says that Kigali is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa, and that’s why there are plans to streamline elements of infrastructure such as mobility, settlement and urbanisation.
Currently, Kigali has a population of 1.7 million inhabitants, growing at a rate of 4 per cent every year.
To Collier, all these people who are migrating from rural areas will not only need reliable mobility and affordable housing but they will also need jobs.
The Oxford Professor, Economist and Expert in Urban Development called for breakthrough actions to plan for the city’s population which is projected to reach 3.4 million people in the next 30 years.
To deliver on the development agenda, city authorities are seeking for fresh revenue streams to make Kigali more self-reliant.
One of the sources being explored is to sell municipal bonds to raise money from the capital market.
Peter Rich, the Committee Vice-Chair and a South African contemporary architect urged the city planners to support the development of industries in order to create more jobs.
On the issue of identity, the Committee commended Kigali’s steady growth but expressed some concerns, particularly on its social life.
Deadness and blank walls were the words that Rich used to describe Kigali’s lack of liveliness.
In a sense of a ‘healthy city’, he said that citizens need open access to public spaces and buildings, “somewhere they can sit and relax”.
That, he added, will be made possible with diversity among city planners.
The nine-member committee pointed out the need for the city to build the ability to outcompete the private sector by retaining “good quality staff” and attracting edge-cutting skills through higher incentives.
No comments :
Post a Comment