At least 16 mega projects are expected to play a significant role in the development of Rwamagana Satellite City during the implementation of the updated master plan 2021-2050 launched last week. Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a major city. Rwamagana is located 50 km northeast of the capital Kigali. According to Architect Joshua Ashimwe, the project director designing the new master plan for the city, it will cover 65 square Kilometres, up from 52 square Kilometres previously. “Sustainable land use is a key pilar of the new master plan because the population is growing fast yet we have limited land. There is a need for sustainable infrastructure,” he said. The city’s population is expected to grow from 177,265 in 2020 to 305,706 in 2035 and 527, 212 in 2050. The land required for residential purposes in the new master plan in the city will increase from 665 hectares in 2020 to 1,750 hectares in 2035 and 2,205 hectares in 2050. He said that 16 investment projects have been identified to attract people to Rwamagana satellite city. “The attractive city is a city that has dwellers. There must be businesses, roads, markets among others that attract people,” he said. The development projects , he said, include upgrading Rwamagana district hospital, food market buildings, rehabilitating roads and setting up a transport hub to connect one of Rwamagana’s old markets dubbed (Uswahilini) to the Central Business District (CBD). “Businesses that attract people to Uswahilini business centre established a long time ago must be developed,” he said. Uswahilini is a suburb in Rwamagana city mostly inhabited by Arabs that are descendants of traders from the Sultanate of Oman. Rwamagana has a long history as a trading zone of Rwanda because of the pre-colonial era influence from Arabs that originated from the Sultanate of Oman on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. Planetarium project Ashimwe said that there is a new project to set up a planetarium in Rwamagana city. Planetarium is a domed building in which images of stars, planets, and constellations are projected for public entertainment or education. It is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky. The new master plan has also proposed upgrading genocide memorial site to be lined with the new city’s design. “The new master plan also seeks to set up a mega conference centre at provincial level that can host big national and international conferences. It can host conferences about industries, agriculture because Rwamagana is an agriculture and agribusiness hub with agro-processing industries. The conference centre will also have apartments,” he said. A shopping mall where a duty-free army shop is located will be constructed, he noted. “The complex can accommodate the army duty-free shop and other businesses. The master plan again shows a youth innovation village/centre which will serve as ICT centre or a startup centre to support all innovative projects created in Rwamagana,” he explained. The district which is a transit to Akagera national park and Rwanda’s border with Tanzania needs attractive features that convince tourists to spend night there, he said. Akagera national park, Lake Muhazi and Mugesera are the potential gateway for tourism in this region. 7.7 hectare landfill The architect said that the green city concept has been much considered in the new master plan. “We have to make sure there are recreational spaces, environmental-friendly infrastructure, waste management, pedestrian and bicycle ways among others,” he said. The master plan shows that the solid waste management plan includes five transfer stations and a 7.7 hectare landfill that will be used to manage and dispose of waste generated in 2050 for urban areas estimated at 316 tonnes per day. There will also be waste water treatment plants in the 30-year master plan. Radjab Mbonyumuvunyi, the Mayor of Rwamagana District, said the new master plan for Rwamagana will improve district planning, boost District development and guide residents on fair and sustainable use of land as well. “We have to engage all partners, industrialists, residents, opinion leaders, business people, faith based organisations with big land among others for one month to ensure they share their views on the new master plan. We hope that after one month, many residents’ issues and queries will have been received and considered before the council approves the master plan,” he said. He said that the master plan must show ways the city will accommodate the growing population. Under the new master plan, the industrial zone will be expanded. “We have to make sure we have a clean and green city,” he said.
