Focus Media (Kigali)
4 November 2009
The Social Security Fund has unveiled the draft master plan for the development of Gacuriro estate.
Unveiling a draft of the master plan, Farid Ali Ahmed, an architect from Case Consultants which had elaborated the plan for SSF, explained that the residential houses ranged from the most luxurious to ordinary apartments.
In addition, the plan includes social facilities like shopping malls, a kindergarten and a modern health center.
The SSF director, Henry Gaperi, said the project was open for investment mostly from the private sector, which at the same time benefits from the project through the supply of local construction material or investments in housing. He added that SSF itself had invested a portion of the required US$ 329 million to complete the project.
The chief architect remarked that if financing was available on time, the new Gacuriro estate would be completed by 2013, comprising of 2600 houses. "Building costs can also be lowered if taxes from imported materials were omitted by the government," he said.
Yet some people present at the presentation of the draft found some shortcomings. An official from Electrogaz, for instance, urged the architects to create more drainage and electricity channels. The Kigali vice-mayor, on the other hand, stressed on the need for better road networks so as to facilitate traffic.
Reacting to fears of people with middle incomes that they would not be able to afford the houses, Gaperi explained there were ongoing consultations with banks to facilitate buying of the houses through mortgages.
He added that a market survey showed that a good number of government employees and some from the private sector had sufficient income to be able to afford the new standard houses.
Concerns were also raised on how the majority of Rwandans who still live under rural standards, will adapt to the new style of living. Here, Ahmed explained that he was optimistic that residents would learn and end up adjusting.
Meanwhile the project is expected to create job opportunities to young Rwandans of which fewer professionals are expected to be hired from abroad.
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