Rwanda starts construction of 2,000 affordable housing units in Nyarugenge district

On June 3, Rwanda has unveiled the construction of 2,000 affordable housing units for average income earners. This is said to the government's efforts to address affordable housing ‘crisis’ in urban areas in the country.

Access to affordable housing in urban areas of Rwanda most especially in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali is quite challenging for low-income earners, said the minister of infrastructure Claver Gatete at the launch of 2,000 affordable housing units in Nyamirambo sector, Nyarugenge district in Kigali.

The Pan African Organization, Shelter Afrique exclusively dealing with affordable housing in Africa and Development Bank of Rwanda have commenced the development of 2,000 affordable housing units in Nyamirambo Sector.

"With the construction of these affordable housing units, we expect average income earners in Kigali to easily find affordable and decent accommodation at an affordable price," Gatete opined.

Gatete also cited that the housing units will be constructed with environmentally friendly building materials, which will be produced locally. The targeted homeowners are those within the income bracket of between USD 220 per month and USD 771, according to the developers.

“We at Shelter Afrique believe that housing should be accessible, it should be affordable, and homeownership is a decision that should be made at the sunrise of your life, not at its sunset. This is the promise of Rugarama, but more so the promise of Shelter Afrique, it is why we were created in the first place,” Shelter Afrique’s CEO, Andrew Chimphondah opined.

The units will sit on a 30-hectare piece of land between Nyamirambo and Rebero sector in Kigali and the entire project will cost more than USD 50 million and will easily accommodate about 10,000 residents, according to them.

Housing Market study conducted by research institute International Growth Center in Kigali in the previous year revealed about 700,00 new housing units are needed by 2028, where 70 percent of them lay in the affordable housing category.

Also Read: Rwandan, Egyptian ministers discuss bilateral ties on security purpose