Chided as a propaganda state with “nothing to show for” except carefully chosen words to convince the world beyond its tiny border that the central African state is “the Singapore of Africa,” Rwanda is moving up its ambitions with the construction of a $120 million public sewage system under its 2016 National Sanitation Policy.
Rwanda government’s two-year search for funds to construct a major public sewage system in the capital Kigali has finally yielded fruit, with the central African state acquiring $86 million in a loan facility from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The African Development Bank and the Rwandan government will contribute additional Euro51 million in total toward the sewage project.
@RwandaGov and @EIB sign EUR 45 million financing agreement to fund Kigali Centralised Sewage System https://t.co/D4IyhMYh26 @RwandaInfra @CityofKigali @wasac_rwanda
— Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning (@RwandaFinance) February 20, 2018
The financial agreement for the construction of Kigali Central Sewage System, which is designed in Rwanda’s 2016 National Sanitation Policy, was signed Tuesday in Kigali between the Rwandan government and EIB director for external lending, Maria Shaw-Barragan, in Kigali.
The EU bank has been steadily engaging in support operations in Rwanda’s private sector over the past few years, but the new loan for sewage construction appears to underline their confidence in the country’s development ambitions given that they have made forays into the public sector now. Until Tuesday, the European Union bank had only been involved with the private sector.
The entire Kigali centralized sewage system is expected to cost EUR 96 million with both @AfDB_Group and @RwandaGov contributing EUR 43 million and EUR 8 million additional funding respectively @CityofKigali @wasac_rwanda @RwandaInfra pic.twitter.com/ZuFQXqK3lI
— Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning (@RwandaFinance) February 20, 2018
“The EIB has significantly increased engagement in Rwanda in recent years and we look forward to strengthened cooperation with Rwanda partners in the years ahead,” Shaw-Barragan said in a statement ahead of the signing ceremony with Finance and Economic Planning minister Claver Gatete.
“The visit to Kigali marks the start of a new era of EIB support for public sector investment in Rwanda and enhanced support for private sector investment across the country.
“My colleagues and I look forward to discussions with ministers, senior banking and business representatives and international partners to see how to contribute to Rwanda’s ambitious Vision 2020 initiative and further enhance EIB activity in Rwanda in the years ahead.