Rwanda seems to be doing everything right these days. Already the country is regarded as the third greenest country in the world, now it is taking it a step further to establish the first green city on African soil.
This city will have environmentally friendly factories, electric vehicles, integrated centers focusing on craft production, and environmentally sustainable housing. All of this will be sited on a 620-hectare land located in Kinyinya, Kigali. The project is expected to cost $5 billion dollars.
The project has already commenced with two phases nearing completion. Phase 1 is a housing development area known as Green Park and it has 420 houses built on 13 hectares. The second phase is also a housing development scheme developed on 125 hectares of land. Commercial offices are next on the agenda.
The Deputy Team Leader of the Green City Pilot, the body in charge of the project, Eudes Kayumba, said everything in the city is aimed at being environmentally friendly. So we should expect electric cars and bikes, renewable energy, biogas plants, clean tech, and sustainable waste treatment. The idea was to reduce air pollution and environmental degradation to its barest minimum.
He further stated that the project is funded by different stakeholders from different parts of the world. Locally-sourced materials will be used in the construction of the houses so that they can be affordable to a large part of society.
Through this project, Rwanda is showing its commitment to having a pollution-free environment.
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