By The New Times
During every monthly community work, Umuganda, somehow preserving and protecting the environment is part of the plot. This week will be no different; in fact, it will go a notch higher; it will go green.
The special Umuganda will take place in Kinyinya, a Kigali suburb where a very ambitious project is about to see the light of the day. It is the site of the Green City Kigali project that is expected to cost between $4-5bn.
An estimated 30,000 housing units will be developed to benefit around 150,000 people.
According to those behind the project, the futuristic city “… will integrate green building and design, efficient and renewable energy, recycling and inclusive living, homegrown solutions and local construction materials”.
The beauty of the project is that no one will be moved to give way to the development. In the past, people have been reluctantly expropriated to give way to development projects creating several judicial tugs-of-war.
In many such cases, decisions were made unilaterally without consulting owners of the properties or even explaining to them the benefits that will come with the project. The Green City project is not making that same mistake.
The stakeholders of the project will hold consultations on all aspects of the idea that will not only contribute to conserving our environment; it is also expected to create at least 16,000 jobs.
It is a grandiose project that falls into the “Dream Big” category that this country is known for. Saturday will be the first step in pulling it off, but the real groundbreaking begins in the next few months.
Many were sceptical at first that the project would never get off the paper stage given its costly and high-tech nature. They can now look at the brighter side of things since the ball is now rolling.
Read Original Article from The New Times.
