Kigali, Wednesday, July 18, 2018, The City of Kigali has embarked on the update of the Kigali Master Plan, 5 years after its adoption in 2013. The Master Plan is a key element for sustainable development and crucial for the future of the City of Kigali which is increasingly being recognized as one of the important economic hubs of Africa and rapidly evolving towards a world class urban center.

The Master Plan Update aims to improve the existing Master Plan and make it more inclusive in bringing the people of Kigali and Rwandans in general to the review process. It will provide continuous information on the Master Plan implementation status to promptly identify and apply corrective measures as needed. The new methodological approach will be based on two key elements; an intensive participatory process involving a large base of stakeholders, capable of providing valued inputs and feedback during the review process and, support of the review process with new and enhanced information and data from various socio-economic studies.

The Master Plan Update is a collaborative effort towards building Kigali’s future. Almost 200 stakeholders from government, national and international institutions, sectoral agencies, civil society organizations, local associations, technical and academic institutes, private sector, media and international and national consultants will take part in this review process. All stakeholders will look at and assess sustainable development alternatives for Kigali to improve the state of its urban development and make the Capital of Rwanda more competitive at the international level while supporting economic green growth and ensuring the well-being of its population.

The first stakeholders meeting is scheduled to take place this Thursday, July 19 with the objective to present the innovative approach of the Master Plan update process and start assessing key strategies of the current Plan. The stakeholders’ meeting will be followed by another meeting for the technical advisory group made up of key players in Kigali and Rwanda urban related sectors. This will be established to support the Mater Plan Update and to provide direction and advice in key moments of the planning process.

The Updated Kigali Master Plan is envisaged to integrate all previous plans and reports and will provide corrective measures to develop an even more equitable Plan. It will improve local capacity through training and involvement of local planners and provide an updated direction to the growth of the Capital of Rwanda by establishing a new platform from which the country can position itself as the center of excellence for innovative and inclusive Urban Planning in Africa. The Kigali Master Plan Update Team started last month and the Project will last for a period of 10 months ending in April 2019.