City of Kigali is planning to put up an 85-hectare industrial zone in Kanyinya sector of Nyarugenge district, The New Times has learnt.

According to the land manager at Nyarugenge District, Cesar Dusabeyezu, the master plan for this industrial zone has been completed.

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"We are wooing investors to make use of the new industrial zone. We are going to rehabilitate the roads to this new industrial zone,” he said.

The area already accommodates Nzove water treatment plant and Skol Brewery factory along River Nyabarongo.

"Kanyinya sector which was a rural area of Kigali has to be urbanized with industries and other infrastructure. Settlement will also be improved. More settlement sites are being constructed,” he said.

He noted that the district is about to create two other settlement sites for residents to be able to get construction permits.

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"We are also having a hotel site. There are currently two hotels in Kanyinya but we want more. The area must have other facilities to connect to the new industrial zone,” he said.

Over 9,000 ha to be allocated to industrial zones

In a related development, Rwanda Housing Authority announced that the government will make available over 9,000 hectares across the country over the next 30 years for investors who want to set up industries in different cities across the country.

Currently, the land allocated to industries is 1,200 hectares.

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In the new plan, 233 hectares have to be allocated to industry parks in Kigali city, 908 hectares in Muhanga, 1,226 hectares in Rwamagana, 1,483 hectares in Bugesera, 605 hectares in Nyagatare, 151 hectares in Huye, 333 hectares in Rubavu, 288 hectares in Rusizi, 424 hectares in Musanze, 238 hectares in Kirehe, 341 hectares in Karongi and 143 hectares in Nyabihu districts.

Government says it plans to expand, by more than double, the size of Kigali Special Economic Zone in a move aimed at further addressing some of the domestic private sector constraints including the availability of industrial and commercial land, limited transport linkages as well as availability and the cost of energy.

KSEZ size doubled

The Kigali Special Economic Zone, a merger of the former Kigali Free Trade and Kigali Industrial Park has two phases, covering 385 hectares of land and the plan, according to Rwanda Development Board (RDB), is to increase its combined size to 400 hectares.

Currently, the first phase covers 159 hectares, and 226 hectares in the second phase.

With about 150 companies operating in Kigali Special Economic Zone, RDB said that both zones have key infrastructures including power, water and sanitation, ICT infrastructure like fiber optic plus wireless networks, onsite and offsite roads links to airports and main roads, as well as firefighting network and sewage network.

The Kigali Special Economic Zone has attracted private sector investments estimated at $2.3 billion, created over 13,000 permanent jobs and generated over $1 billion of export revenues since 2018.

While Government plans to have 35 per cent of the population in Rwanda living in urban areas by 2024 and there are also plans to have 70 per cent of residents living in urban areas.