At the junction of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the hinterland of Africa, lies the highest lake in Africa and one of the largest freshwater lakes in Africa. Between the picturesque scenery of lakes and mountains, a 65.94 kilometer long modern road meanders forward, providing great convenience for local residents and tourists to travel, and making positive contributions to promoting the economic development of Rwanda. That is the 66 kilometer project along Lake Road in Rwanda undertaken by CRBC.

The area along Lake Kivu Lake is an important cash crop producing area in Rwanda. Statistics show that 70% of coffee and nearly half of tea in Rwanda are produced in Lake Kivu Lake District and its surrounding areas. Therefore, the significant economic significance of building this road is self-evident. The 66km project of Rwanda lakeside road starts from Mtiazo Town, western province of Rwanda, and ends at Kalongi City. It is close to the tourist resort Lake Kivu along the line. It is the main north-south channel in western Rwanda and part of multinational highways connecting Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

66 kilometers of Rwanda Lake Road

Guo Meng, General Manager of CRBC Rwanda Office, introduced that the terrain of this engineering project is hilly, and the original road bends with the slope according to the terrain. The horizontal and vertical lines are poor, and the old roadbed is narrow, with steep slopes on both sides, which brings certain difficulties to the widening work of the roadbed. The project has a huge amount of earthwork. The water system along the project is developed, with a large area of weak foundation and black cotton soil in some areas, which poses great challenges to roadbed construction. The prevention and control of such diseases is also crucial to ensure the quality of the project. At the same time, Rwanda has two rainy seasons a year, with abundant rainfall. Especially, the project is close to Lake Kivu, with huge rainfall, which puts forward higher requirements on the quality and progress of the already huge earthwork.

The 66 kilometer Yanhu Road project has greatly improved the transportation environment in the western province of Rwanda, shortened the travel distance with the capital, and effectively ensured traffic safety; At the same time, it has also accelerated the export of agricultural products, promoted the development of the tourism industry, and played a huge role in promoting the economic development and political stability of Rwanda. The completion of the project has also further established the good reputation of Chinese quality, Chinese standards and Chinese speed in the hearts of local people. It has become a benchmark project built by Chinese enterprises in the region under the framework of the the Belt and Road, and won the National Quality Project Award.

The 66km Yanhu Road project in Rwanda won the National High Quality Engineering Award for 2018-2019

The 66 kilometer Yanhu Road project in Rwanda is just a microcosm of Chinese enterprises helping to improve the quality and growth rate of transportation construction in Rwanda and drive local economic development. Rwanda, located in the central eastern part of the African continent, is one of the least developed countries in the world as declared by the United Nations, but has a superior road throughout the entire African continent. More than 70% of these wide and flat roads connecting various parts of Rwanda were built by CRBC, and locals affectionately refer to these roads as Chinese roads. Local media commented that CRBC, as one of the earliest enterprises to enter Rwanda to participate in infrastructure construction, has made a historic contribution to Rwanda's road transportation.

As early as 1974, the Foreign Aid Office of the Ministry of Transport of China entered Rwanda to participate in local infrastructure assistance. The Kigali Lusumo Road was the first road constructed with assistance at that time. It was completed in June 1977 and has a total length of 140 kilometers. It is a must pass road from Rwanda to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam. The road is renowned as an African model road for its excellent engineering quality. The then Minister of Engineering of Rwanda stated at the opening ceremony that this road is fast, of good quality, and of advanced technology, and is a model for aid projects.Editor/Ma Xue