[SPONSORED] 2017-2018 will be a period of exploring and exploiting opportunities in Ngoma district

Ngoma district is among the six that make Eastern Province with a population of 889, 630. It is made up of 14 sectors.

Monday, November 06, 2017
A pineapple farmer in Ngoma district, the district says the crop presents opportunities for processing.Photo Sam Ngendahimana.

Ngoma district is among the six that make Eastern Province with a population of 889, 630. It is made up of 14 sectors.

The district which emerged 20th with 77.50% score in the 2016-2017 Imihigo/performance contracts, commits to implement 2017-2018 targets with special emphasis on exploring and exploiting investment opportunities to boost economic development.

The District Planner, Steven Ndayisaba, says the district will deliver better results in the next performance contract; targeting to collect Rwf900 000 000 in revenues , install internet infrastructures at all cell head offices to improve service delivery and implement 80 % of Auditor General recommendations.

District officials say that with proper coordination of efforts between local government officials, private sector and partners of the district, the said targets shall be achieved with ease.

Economic Development 

Agriculture

Crops that flourish in Ngoma districts include; banana, maize, rice, pineapples and vegetables among others.

Banana plant that can give more than 130 kg as Ngoma farmers want to embrace the growing.

The district has some remarkable achievements in land consolidation where growing of pineapples takes place on consolidated land of 830 Ha in Mugesera Sector and in Sake.

There are investment potentials in pineapple processing chain and banana wine processing.

Under the 2017-2018 performance contracts, the district targets to rehabilitate 5 000 ha of banana plantation from 4,450 ha, increase maize yields from 3.4 tonnes to 5.3 tonnes per consolidated hectare of land, from 6.1 tonnes to 6.5 tonnes for rice, from 1.1 tonnes to 2 tonnes of beans per hectare and from 1.06 to 1.8 tonnes of soya beans per ha.

Ngoma district seeks to rehabilitate 5,000 ha of banana plantation this year

To enhance sustainable agriculture, the district is implementing an irrigation project called NGOMA 22 on 300 Ha, of which 265 Ha are for hillsides irrigation and 35 Ha in marshland.

The project is located between Remera and Rurenge sector, Rujambara cell in Rurenge and Ndekwe cell in Remera, but it has not yet begun as the valley dam doesn’t have enough water to be operational.

There is also a Memorandum of understanding for a big project to run this year financed by NELSAP/LADP(Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program/Local Area Development Program) where 1500 Ha will be irrigated benefiting 10,212 households in Mugesera Sector and 28,7 kms water pipeline supplying 10,500 people in Kibungo sector.

There is another small scale irrigation programme, Nkunganire Muhinzi, under which farmers have acquired 100 small irrigation machines

in 2016-2017 fiscal year. Farmers pay Rwf190,000, a 50% of the total cost of the irrigation machines.

The district also boasts of a model farm in Zaza Sector where Prof. Egide Karuranga practices horticulture on a 60 Ha piece of land.

Under the 2017-2018 performance contracts the district has pledged to distribute more 50 water pumps for irrigating 128.6 hectares and cultivate vegetables (tomatoes, onion, cabbage, eggplant and watermelon) on 200 ha.

The district looks to rehabilitating feeder roads for better connection of farmers to markets.

Under the Feeder Roads program, the district has constructed 131 kms of feeder roads which is an amazing achievement as now all sectors are interconnected.

Construction of Ngoma Hotel is at 97% of completion and targeting to complete it in the year 2017-2018.

Energy

The district has 30,369 households (35.16%) connected to the national grid

In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, 3,663 households were connected but targeting 7200 household connections for 2017-2018.

A 6.9 Km of Nkanga - Sangaza-Ruhinga transmission line is expected to be constructed at 100 %, 76 Km of Midium voltage and 122 Km of Low voltage lines to be constructed in Rukira, Murama, Kibungo, Kazo and Mutenderi Sectors at 100%, more 5 000 households connected to on-grid electricity and more 2 200 households to be connected to off-grid electricity.

Water and sanitation

Kamfonyogo water pipeline is targeted to be rehabilitated at 100 %, Muzingira water pipeline constructed at 50 % of works and targeting to give access to clean water to 9, 456 People once completed. Phase two of Rurenge water pipeline constructed at 50 % of works and targeting to give access to clean water to 8, 987 People on completion.

There is also a Unit for waste transformation located in Ruhinga Cell, Kibungo Sector making combustible briquettes as part of ensuring hygiene in the area.

VUP to boost transport

Through VUP, the district targets rehabilitation of more than 32.5 km of feeder roads at 100 per cent.

These include 6 Km of Kabeza - Kajevuba feeder road ,4 Km of Gahurire-Sakara feeder road ,5 Km of Sakara-Uruganda feeder road ,4.5 Km of Karwema - Mutukura feeder road ,8 Km of Memorial Site - Akagarama feeder road and 5 Km of Murenge-Nyasozi feeder road.

Off-farm jobs

Integrated Craft Production Centres (ICPCs) known as agakiriro are now operational in Ngoma district in forms of a carpentry and a garage are already operating in Agakiriro.

The district targets to boost productivity and tackling unemployment especially among the youth, where 4 500 new off-farm jobs will be created, 600 Startup MSMEs ( Micro, Small, Medium, Enterprises ) for Youth and Women and coaching interventions initiated to build capacities of the youth and women, enabling them to develop bankable ideas and projects while 60 SMEs and startups will be supported by BDF Kora Wigire Centers.

The district also targets to support two agribusiness projects for university graduates with startup capital, recover 50% of VUP / financial services loans which were distributed before 2014/15 fiscal year and will train 100 PSF Members in business law and support 100 women’s income generating activities.

Social welfare and health social protection

The district will construct 31 houses for vulnerable genocide survivors this year, distribute 600 cattle to poor families through Girinka program, 50 People with disabilities will be coached to develop income generating activities, 20 with disabilities will be provided with toolkits and 100 % of students in 12 YBE will have meals at School.

This year, 5 206 jobs will be created through VUP Public Works, there will be 1 200 new recipients of loans under VUP / Financial support , 962 households will be supported through FARG while 475 households will be supported through Minimum Package program as 473 Ubudehe community projects will also be implemented by second quarter.

Health

During 2017-2018 , 100 % of the population are expected to subscribe to Health Insurance and have 90 % of deliveries assisted by skilled birth attendants in health facilities and 52, 456 people will have used contraceptives. 473 pigs and 4, 730 hens will be distributed to poor families through Gikuriro program for eradicating malnutrition in the district.

The district also looks at constructing a hospital bloc for Gashanda health center at 100% and Kibara / Nyagasozi Health Poste.

Community health workers get room for medical care

The Community Health Workers are 1419 working in 473 cells.

To improve their services’ delivery, the district annually transfers Rwf9 million to their cooperatives. This money is shared by the Cooperatives based on the performance of their duties.

Further more in Ngoma District, Amasibo approach, has built for community health workers a modest room for medical care. In Mutenderi Sector, there is such room in every village.

Accountable governance

Service delivery

The district targets to 100 % of citizen cases / complaints be received to be resolved by Abunzi, 100 % of citizens’ complaints received and resolved during community outreach program and will use of Irembo Portal in service delivery at 100% while value of works in Umuganda is expected to hit Rwf500, 000,000.

‘Amasibo: Ngoma’s unique innovation

The background of amasibo in Ngoma is in the implantation of one of the recommendations of Itorero-Imbonezamihigo in March 2013 to bring down Amasibo in villages.

Fortunately, Ngoma has been the first District to implement this recommendation, when in Nyaruvumu Cell, Rukira Sector the population were mobilized to constitute Amasibo(10-15 households).

In this cell, all houses are now clean and each household has an affordable toilet. This cell has been the centre of best practices where other cells go for learning. Later, the District Council (on 25/05/2017) decided to transform amasibo into the trigger of socio-economic development.

Under the 2017-2018 performance contracts, there will be training of 6,563 leaders of " Amasibo " to enable them implement different initiatives and working under performance contracts in villages. 1 450 Students who completed S6 will be trained in itorero program.

The groups have adopted a performance slogan dubbed "Mfata ngufate nundekura nkubazwe: loosely translated as ‘let’s hold (sustain) each other, because if you drop me down you will be held accountable.”

Igiticy’ibisubizo

The igiti cy’Ibisubizo is an approach initiated by the Mayor Aphrodise Nambaje, to meet people and discuss their complaints. The mayor is assisted by the Director of Good Governance and a MAJ.

The district has designed a place where every Thursday, officials meet citizens to address their different issues and complaints.

Reconciliation

People live in the villages built in the spirit of putting together different people.

There is a special village for Unity and Reconciliation called Umudugudu w’Ubumwe n’Ubwiyunge, in Kinunga Cell, Remera Sector.