Holding Hands with Rwanda
Chinese enterprises have won trust by achieving win-win development in Rwanda.
In Rwanda, quality roads and city landmarks constructed with the assistance of China or built by Chinese enterprises can be seen everywhere. Chinese enterprises have elevated the local infrastructure, improved the urban environment and living conditions, created jobs for locals, cultivated a group of professionals and spearheaded scientific management modes in the African country.
Construction Aid to New Vision
Li Jianbo, general manager of the Rwanda office of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), has lived in Rwanda for more than 20 years. He calls himself a “Rwandan local” and has developed great attachment to this land.
In Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda, Li is most proud of the Crbc-built roads. Over the past four decades, his company has been contracted to build 26 projects. The cumulative length of roads
constructed by CRBC exceeds 1,200 kilometers, accounting for nearly 70 percent of Rwanda’s total.
A prime example is the 160-kilometer Kigali-rusumo road, which was built in 1974. Today, the road remains in good condition and has maintained its reputation as a “Model African Road.” CRBC also received Rwanda’s Engineering Quality Award and Distinguished Contribution to the Beautification of Kigali City award for a 36-kilometer-long urban road upgrade project in Kigali.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) arrived in Rwanda in 1983 with a project to build Amahoro National Stadium, a major sports venue. Today, this stadium remains the top choice in the country to host important sporting and other major events. Abundant advanced technologies from China have been employed by CCECC in its work. For example, the 20-story Kigali City Tower, a city landmark in which the locals take pride, was completed with a number of advanced technologies. Wang Lei, general manager of CCECC Rwanda office, tallies 30 projects undertaken since the company entered the Rwandan market.
Arrival to Integration
Gifted with excellent public security, good management, and a pleasant environment, Rwanda has attracted an increasing number of Chinese enterprises, including STECOL Corporation.
Chen Wuqing was dispatched to Africa by STECOL in 2004 to oversee the corporation’s engineering projects in Kenya. In 2013, the corporation began working on the second-phase of an infrastructure project in Kigali Special Economic Zone and has since been active in Rwanda.
“Because most parts of Rwanda are mountainous, the locals are used to meeting their own needs,” explains Chen. “Almost everyone is a mason, and they build their own houses.