African Development Fund grants over $75 million to Rwanda and Burundi for cross-border road construction and studies

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group, has approved $75.35 million in grant funding to Rwanda and Burundi to build cross-border corridors, boosting linkages between these two neighbouring countries in Africa’s Great Lakes Region.

Funding for the first phase of the East African Community Cross-Border Roads Improvement Project comprises $71.94 million for Rwanda and $ 3.40 million for Burundi.

In Rwanda, the funds will support the paving of 69 of 213 kilometres of cross-border roads within five districts: Rusizi, Nyaruguru, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu. The remaining 144 kilometres will be upgraded during Phase 2 following a detailed feasibility study. 

The roads will eventually link three provinces in the North, West and South including six border crossings along the frontiers of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, they will provide an indirect connection to the cities of Kigali on the northern corridor and Bujumbura on the central corridor along existing routes.

On the Burundi side, activities to be carried out during phase 1 of the project include feasibility studies for paving about 65 kilometres with border connections at Akanyaru Haut, Bitare/Nshili, Ruhwa and Rusizi. Studies will be undertaken into the construction of agricultural collection centres, as well as a detailed engineering study and the design of a one-stop border post at Akanyaru Haut on the Burundi-Rwanda border for funding in phase 2 of the project. These activities will also include capacity building in trade and transport facilitation and addressing the environmental and living conditions of the populations, including gender mainstreaming in the project area.

Nnenna Nwabufo, the Bank’s Director General for East Africa, said, “The African Development Bank supports regional integration through multi-national projects. The Cross-Border Roads Improvement Project was designed to improve connectivity for the landlocked countries, Rwanda and Burundi and link them to two of East Africa’s most strategic corridors – the central and northern corridors, which provide access to the seaports of Dar-es-Salaam and Mombasa, respectively.”

The project is expected to improve transport connectivity between Burundi and Rwanda by rehabilitating the central and northern corridors in both countries and improving access to the sea. These two corridors, anchored at Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports respectively, form the backbone of the East African Community corridor network. The project will bolster trade and transport and deepen regional integration within the East African Community.

The project will reduce the cost and duration of travel as well as road safety; while also reducing logistics costs; and economic and social empowerment of residents along the road and in the project influence zone in Rwanda and Burundi.

At least 2 million people in Rwanda and another 300,000 in Burundi will benefit from the project.

The project will reduce the high trading costs in both countries, where transportation expenses for imports and exports are about four times higher than in Kenya and Tanzania due to their landlocked nature and lack of road links. The road infrastructure will provide farmers and traders easy access to markets and farms.

The project will also accelerate the impacts of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into force on January 1, 2021,  It is also in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and three of the Bank’s High-5s: Integrate Africa, Industrialise Africa and Improve the quality of life of people in Africa.