The much-anticipated Rubavu Industrial Park is still awaiting approval of its detailed physical plans before construction can commence. These physical plans outline how the site will be developed, including the placement of buildings, roads, drainage systems, water supply, electricity, and other essential infrastructure.
Although the district council gave the green light for the project in June 2023, the area remains undeveloped, pending final design approvals. The industrial park will cover 250 hectares across Rugerero and Nyakiriba sectors, according to Rubavu District authorities.
“Once these physical plans are approved, we will begin with essential infrastructure such as internal roads, water connections, and electricity. The site is close to the power grid, but we’ll need to extend it directly to the park,” explained Rubavu District Mayor, Prosper Mulindwa.
Mayor Mulindwa added that the draft plans are expected to be approved by the end of this month. Once that happens, work on the key infrastructure will start, with close collaboration between the district, the Ministry of Trade, and other relevant institutions.
Efforts to Attract Investors
To draw investors to the new industrial park, Rubavu District is working alongside the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to organize promotional events. These will introduce the industrial park to potential investors from Rubavu, across Rwanda, and internationally especially from Goma, in neighboring DRC.
“We’re targeting both domestic and foreign investors,” said Mulindwa.
He noted that the local business community in Rubavu is already showing significant interest, particularly now that the approval process for the physical plans is nearing completion.
“They’ve been eagerly waiting for this. Now that the project is progressing, they are helping spread the news within their networks locally and beyond,” he said.
Industries Planned for the Park
Although the project is still in its planning phase, preliminary zoning has identified priority industries for the park. These include agricultural processing, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, food processing, construction materials, plastic production, paper products, as well as warehousing and storage services.
According to the mayor, these industries were selected to align with the region’s economic potential and the park’s strategic location. He emphasized, however, that these plans are still under review and may evolve based on investor demand.
Across Rwanda, around 70 per cent of industries located in industrial parks are already operational, while others are still under development, according to the Ministry of Trade.
The government has so far established two Special Economic Zones; Kigali and Bugesera; and eight industrial parks in Rwamagana, Muhanga, Nyagatare, Musanze, Huye, Nyabihu, Rusizi, and Rubavu.
The continued growth of industrial parks is part of Rwanda’s broader strategy to boost export revenues, with a target of increasing earnings from $3.5 billion (approximately Rwf4.8 trillion) to $7.3 billion (approximately Rwf10 trillion). Nationwide, land allocated for industrial development totals around 1,200 hectares.
Alice DUSABIMANA / KIGALI TIMES
Source: TNT