Jul 31, 2017: With the backing of the African Legal Support Facility, the Rwandan government has taken a concrete step toward becoming a transportation hub for the East African region with the signing of a concession agreement for the construction and operation of Bugesera International Airport.

Kigali is being positioned to become a nerve center for business, travel, and shipping in the sub-region. The agreement was signed on behalf of the government of Rwanda by the minister of infrastructure, James Musoni and Manuel Mota, chief executive officer of Monta-Engil, on behalf of the developer and the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor respectively.

Worth approximately $700 million, the Bugesera Airport project is designed to be executed across four phases. The first phase will involve approximately 27 months of construction - at an estimated cost of $400 million - and is expected to be completed by 2019, at which point the airport will be able to accommodate 1.8 million passengers annually.

Photo source: African Business Central