When the national transport strategic plan was drawn up in 2013, only four areas seemed to make the honours list; aviation, railways, road transport and inland waterways. Aviation, to say the least, is the jewel in the crown. With Rwandair spreading its roots to new destinations and new foreign carriers landing in Kigali. The air was our best bet to open up the skies and facilitate trade. The railway project was still on the drawing board and there was nothing much to write home about concerning water transport apart from a few pirogues. All that now is about to end: In partnership with Trademark East Africa, several maritime ports are going to be built on Lake Kivu to give water transport a new meaning. The first phase of Bugesera Airport will receive its first passenger next year and the final dot on the “I” in regard to the rail project has already been affixed. Ground-breaking could occur anytime. One big headache to trade has been high road transport costs, so the rail link to Dar es Salaam port is expected to address the problem. But an even bigger headache has been managing urban transport congestion. 14-seater minibuses were swept away in Favour of larger capacity buses and that has managed to bring some sanity in public transport. Then came the idea of incorporating cable-car transport due to the country’s topological nature. It is good news that preliminary research has been carried out by a group of academicians, and the prospects are promising. But it is even better news that those in charge of transport have taken the project under their wings. They could begin by acquiring cable-car technology as it is the ideal transport solution to our steep hills and mountains.
