The long awaited Bugesera International Airport got a much needed shot in the arm when the government got a foreign partner. The journey has been long and getting the project off the ground has been the government’s biggest headache. With tourism revenues set to increase and a steadily growing aviation industry spreading its wings even further, the deal could not have come at a better time. The government has been drumming up support for Public-Private Partnerships to propel development and the partnership with the Portuguese investors on the proposed Bugesera airport is the best example. The new partnership should open avenues for other ventures, especially between local governments and the population, to jointly fund development projects. It will not only promote ownership, but also ease the financial burden of districts and other entities which depend on government disbursements when in need of funds. Joint ventures should be the new goose that lays golden eggs and should be replicated to fund even the most basic needs. For example, at the 12th African Dairy Conference and Exhibition in Kigali, the issue of few milk collection centres was singled out, with stakeholders saying it affects its processing. Most milk end up being sold on informal markets, but that issue could be solved if local authorities invited the private sector to form a partnership to set up such centres. As long as the project is lucrative, it will not fail to attract investors. All it just needs is one successful venture, which Bugesera International Airport is bound to act as an example and the culture will catch on.
