The governments of Rwanda and Singapore have signed a deal that will see the latter impart to Rwandans expertise in construction, with a key focus on energy, electricity and water saving; and environment sustainability.

The agreement was signed in Singapore on Wednesday between the Director General of Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), Eng. Didier Sagashya and Choo Watt Bin, the Director of the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA).

According to a statement from the Rwandan embassy in Singapore, the event was also witnessed by Singaporean Senior Minister of State for National Development, Desmond Lee, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Guillaume Kavaruganda and the BCA Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Keung. 

As part of the deal, Rwandans will also learn how to economize building materials such as cement and steel in order to effectively reduce the cost and time required to complete a building without compromising on the durability and design of the structure.

All buildings constructed with these methods will be given a certificate to show that they are environmentally friendly.

This, according to officials, will allow such facilities like hotels and residential houses to attract more clients who are eco-conscious.

Singapore is a small country, but it is also one of the richest in the world.

With a size of 719.1 km², Singapore is approximately as big as Kigali and due to the constraint in land size and the growing population (5.5 million as of 2015), authorities there studied methods to design sustainable modern buildings which are energy, electricity and water efficient; and provides environmental protection.