MUHANGA - The government has commended the progress made in the construction of the US $ 97million Nyabarongo hydro power project which is set to generate 28 megawatts of power.

Minister of Finance, John Rwangombwa,  and Colette Ruhamya, State Minister in charge of energy and water, were on Wednesday inspecting the Nyabarongo project in Mushishiro Sector.

They toured activities of the project contractor-Angelique International- which has started diverting the Nyabarongo River so as to build the dam, and the ground is also being prepared for the power station.

"The project is moving at a good pace and we would like to see that the construction is completed on time. What we have observed is that there are few problems of- lack of communication and coordination in the process of compensating residents,” Rwangombwa said.

He asked the project managers to liaise with district officials to resolve cases of uncompensated property owners where the construction works are being carried out.

On her part, Ruhamya observed that the project had provided many jobs to residents and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to increase the number of people using power.

The project is set to be complete in December 2012 and will cost over US $ 97million.

The project has attracted many casual labourers from Ngororero and Muhanga districts who earn at least Rwf1000 per day. The labourers revealed that the project has increased their earnings, especially among women groups and the community in general.

Some employees however, complained of delays in signing of work contracts and insurance coverage.

In response, Muhanga district officials disclosed that they had received the workers’ concerns and contacted the company over the issue. The company promised to resolve the matter by the end of this month, according to the officials.

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