French Embassy submits alternative proposal for cultural centre

The French Embassy in Rwanda has submitted another project proposal for its site occupied by the Franco-Rwanda Cultural Centre, a few months after Kigali City approved the original architectural design proposal, The New Times has established. Kigali City Construction One-Stop Centre had about three months ago, approved a proposal by the French to construct a 12-floor building. However, the embassy has now submitted an alternative proposal for the same site. According to the new proposal seen by The New Times, the French are now requesting to build two separate seven-storey facilities each. The two buildings, according to the submitted proposal, will now have a central dome similar to that of the auditorium. The last three floors of each building will be commercial spaces and exhibition. It is not clear if an investor can change the project proposal after the original one was approved.Efforts to reach city authorities for a comment were futile by press time. Currently, investment projects worth Rwf 96.6 billion are underway in Kigali city. According to the recent statistics from Kigali City Construction One-Stop Centre established in April this year to facilitate doing business in the country, 120 project proposals have since been received, 28 of them worth Rwf 110.8 billion have been approved and will receive construction permits once they have submitted their architectural designs. 36 construction permits have so far been issued.Among the approved proposals are; Amarembo Centre which combines Akagera Motors, VERMA, MIRONKO and Mukangira buildings in the city centre. All the commercial facilities to be built in this area will have 8-14 storey buildings. Other approved proposals include Olivier COSTA, a commercial facility worth Rwf 13.8 billion to be built next to the main roundabout, Billion Construction and Materials which deals in real estate will be put up in Kicukiro District ($5million), a four storey hotel worth Rwf 22 billion belonging to a local businessman, Vivens Nsengiyumva, and a 12-floor commercial building worth Rwf 2.3 billion also to be built in the city centre. The projects were approved between 14 and 16 days on average. Ends

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French Embassy submits alternative proposal for cultural centre