Rwandan rural residents hail Chinese-built road

KIGALI -- Residents in Kicukiro, a suburb of Rwanda's capital Kigali, have hailed the Chinese government for funding the construction of a new road in the area as they suffered poor road conditions for many years.

The $12 million new road stretches some 6.3 kilometers, linking the districts of Masaka and Kabuga.

Masaka resident Josine Uwamahoro on Sunday told Xinhua that the new road has been "a major turning point in their lives" because it's now easy for her to transport her produce from crop fields to markets in Kigali.

"Inaccessible road (before) that connected Kigali city to Masaka hampered my business because it used to take long to reach markets in city where I supply beans and maize. During the rainy season, it was very challenging for us to transport our produce," she said.

She thanks the Chinese government for supporting the construction of the new road which, she says, has allowed the locals to expand and increase their trade.

Another resident Jean Claude Uwayezu said that, after the new road completed, it takes him only 10 minutes to go to Kigali by bus -- 30 minutes less than what used to take.

"I appreciate the Chinese government's support for making our movements easy. There was too much dust (on the road) which was a health risk, but now we are breathing fresh air," he said.

Kucukiro suburb chief, Jules Ndamage, said the new road has eased the movement of goods and people from the suburb to the capital city.

"Initially it was challenging for residents to access markets and storages (in Kigali), this road will play a key role in social and economic development of our district," he said.

The official said that the funding for the project from China has reflected "excellent diplomatic ties" between the two countries.

More than 70 percent of the road project in Rwanda are built by Chinese companies.

Official statistics show that 25 percent of Rwanda's roads are in a bad condition, mostly in the rural areas.