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Chinese firms transform business district landscape in Rwanda
KIGALI, July 22, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – The Central Business District (CBD)
in capital Kigali reminds Wu Wenjun, general manager of the Rwanda 2000
Group, a Chinese private enterprise, of its counterparts in U.S. and Canadian
cities.
It is as clean and well-planned, said Wu, who studied in Canada.
However, it was a different story in the past.
Wu’s parents started doing business in Rwanda in 1996. When they first
arrived in the landlocked country, the CBD area had only small wholesale and
retail shops, the roads were potholed, and the houses were old and low.
But in the past two decades, Kigali has changed dramatically. Chinese
enterprises have constructed several highrises in the CBD area, including
several national landmarks.
The 20-story Kigali City Tower can be seen from far away. Built by China
Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the tower is one of the
highest buildings in Rwanda. It comprises a cinema, a supermarket, shops and
offices.
Standing on the rooftop of a new villa in Vision City, the biggest housing
project in Rwanda undertaken by CCECC, David Rwego, a 38-year-old carpenter,
can see Kigali City Tower clearly, a project he worked on many years ago.
“When we were constructing Kigali City Tower, that place looked like a
village. Looking at that area from here now, I can feel Rwanda’s development
brought about by China,” he said. “Working together with Chinese, Rwanda will
be even more beautiful.”
The Makuza Peace Plaza is another building constructed by CCECC. Unveiled
by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in 2015, the business center is one of the
largest in the country.
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Other Chinese enterprises have also participated in the development of the
CBD area. Top International Engineering Corporation constructed the
headquarters of Cogebanque, a commercial bank. CRJE (East Africa) Ltd. is
constructing the 12-story twin-tower headquarters of Rwanda Utilities
Regulatory Authority.
“Thanks to good governance, Rwanda has changed so much in the recent 10
years,” said Bright Coleb Shema, the 22-year-old concierge of a hotel in the
CBD.
Shema said the CBD not only facilitates consumption but also brings youths
together to communicate and work with one another and get to know how to do
business.
According to Wang Lei, general manager of CCECC in Rwanda and deputy chief
of the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Rwanda, Chinese enterprises are
important constructors in the country. They implement projects, train workers
and introduce advanced technology in housing construction.
“Over the past decade, Rwanda has experienced rapid development in city
construction as well as social and economic development,” Wang said. “As a
builder who has been witnessing Rwanda’s development, I’m deeply proud of the
Chinese enterprises in Rwanda.”
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