Community Road Empowerment (CORE), a Japanese NGO, has allocated $324,000 (Approx. Rwf350m) to the government to revamp rural infrastructure in the districts of Nyagatare, Kayonza, Rwamagana, Ngoma and Bugesera.

The infrastructural adjustments will be made with the help of Japanese traditional technology, which entails the introduction of sandbags to be utilized by members of the local community to repair unpaved roads.

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During the first operational year of this three year project, rural populations from Huye, Kamonyi, Muhanga, Karongi, Gisagara and Nyanza were given ample training on road maintenance and this will be extended to Rubavu, Musanze, Burera, Nyabihu and Gicumbi in the second year.

"Most people working construction jobs often do it only because that’s the only means of legitimate payment they can access, but they don’t know how to construct roads well, and learn how to reduce the quantity of damaged roads,” Sifa, a team member at CORE said.

The Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda, Isao Fukishima commended the strides made by both governments to see the project through and acknowledged how instrumental this will be in improving Rwanda- Japan relations.

"As the road rehabilitation is still to be improved, this project supports the government of Rwanda in such efforts,” he says

During the grant signing ceremony, it was revealed that the three year project has impacted 1,600 people in total and will be transferring the training aspect of it to IPRC Huye, to complement the curriculum addition of a TVET labour course on road maintenance established prior.