The Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) has awarded two construction contracts under the first phase of the project to upgrade roads linking Rwanda to neighbouring Burundi.

A team of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and Rwanda’s NPD was selected to revamp the 51km Sashwara-Rega-Mutovu-Kabuhanga-Busasamana-Muhato road, located in the northwestern Nyabihu and Rubavu districts on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The joint venture will undertake the work over 36 months at a cost of Rwandan franc 51.3 billion (US$36.8 million).

China’s Stecol was awarded a Rwandan franc 16.8 billion (US$12 million) 18-month contract to upgrade the 18km Nyagisozi-Remera-Nshili border road in the southern Nyaruguru district.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), which is supporting the overall project, published the contract awards in mid-January. The tenders were issued in mid-October 2023 and each saw five responses. The work involves upgrading the routes to single-carriageway bitumen standard roads.

The overall Rwanda/Burundi road upgrade project aims to improve transport connectivity between Burundi and Rwanda by upgrading missing links in the central and northern corridors in both countries. In turn, the road improvements are expected to strengthen regional integration and trade in the Eastern African Community (EAC) region.

Currently, incomplete transport links and poor infrastructure in Rwanda and Burundi, both landlocked states, are said to pose constraints to achieving the respective national development goals. The cross-border project is thus aimed at reducing the high trade costs in both countries, where the proportion of transport costs for imports and exports is said to be about four times greater than those in fellow East African countries Kenya and Tanzania.

In Rwanda, work under the scheme’s first phase includes feasibility and detailed engineering design studies of the 68km Giticyinyoni-Rulindo-Gakenke road and 121km of east-west cross-border routes, along with a one-stop border post (OSBP) at Akanyaru Haut on the border with Burundi.

In Burundi, the first phase covers studies on the improvement of 75km of cross-border routes, namely the 23km Kayanza-Kanyaru Haut section of the RN1, 25km Ngozi-Mihigo-Kanyaru Bas portion of the RN15 and 27km Rwegura-Buyumbu border post section of the RN22.

Studies will also be conducted on the rehabilitation of about 60km of dirt roads on the RN1, RN6, RN15 and RN22, as well as the paving of 25km of urban roads in Kayanza and 28km in Ngozi.

In early February 2024, the Burundi Road Agency (ARB) published expressions of interest for technical and environmental feasibility studies for the roads in three lots, with consultancies expected to respond by the 23rd of that month.

In mid-November 2024, the ARB issued a tender for a detailed engineering feasibility study and architectural design of Burundi’s section of the OSBP. The deadline was 7 December.

The first phase of the Rwanda/Burundi road upgrade scheme has a total cost of US$75.4 million, which is being financed by the AfDB and the two governments. Burundi’s portion of the project is expected to be completed by December 2026 and Rwanda’s by February 2028.

The second phase of the Rwanda/Burundi road project will see the construction and equipping of the OSBP in both countries, along with work on the Burundian roads studied under the first phase. In addition, the remaining sections of Rwandan cross-border roads, totalling about 144km, will be completed.

Top photo: Roadworks in Rwanda (Source: X/Twitter @ RTDA)