KCC, WB sign MoU to boost construction sector

Investment climate:Easing business In a bid to improve doing business in the capital, Kigali City Council (KCC) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop Information Management Systems (IMS). This will see the registration of construction permits applied online to enable a conducive investment climate. The officials said the system will reduce the cost of doing business in the country.According to KCC, the IMS which will cost US $1million, aims at automating the permit application system which normally take 30 days to get one.“This system will speed up service delivery and reduce physical contact hence the whole exercise will be made easier compared to the previous method,” said Mayor Fidele Ndayisaba. He added that the development comes at a time of digitalising all services it offers.The growth has largely been attributed to good performance of the industrial sector that recorded a real GDP growth rate of 12.5 percent compared to 8.5 percent in 2006.The construction and public works sector has experienced a boom in the recent years, growing to 15.2 percent up from 5.2 in 2006. “We are glad that our country is performing better every year coming up with tremendous innovations,” the Mayor said.KCC officials also noted that the IMS will help in land management.The Director of Investment Climate at the World Bank, Pierre Guislain, said the Bank recognises the efforts undertaken to develop the city. “We are very optimistic that this system will serve better and effectively towards the effort of improving Kigali,” he said, adding that it will also increase transparency between the population and the authorities.

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KCC, WB sign MoU to boost construction sector