The construction of the Nyagatare multifunctional water project in the Nyagatare district of Rwanda will begin. The Rwandan Parliament approved a US$147.5 million loan from the African Development Bank to implement the project. The loan is expected to fund a comprehensive development plan using Muvumba River water.

According to Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, the loan is charged at an interest rate of 1.47% per year and will be repaid within 25 years, including an 8-year grace period. He said: "The purpose of the initiative is to use Muvumba to provide water for residents to meet household needs, animal husbandry, irrigate crops to increase food production and power generation."

He also added that the initiative is in line with the country’s development agenda for the 2050 vision and the first phase of the National Transformation Strategy (NST 1) implemented from 2017 to 2024. The minister stated that the project will also provide 24,000 cubic meters of water per day.

Nyagatare Multifunctional Water Project

The project is expected to provide about 300,000 people with clean water and ensure the irrigation of 7,380 hectares of farmland, including the construction of a 30.5m high dam with a capacity of 35 million cubic meters. It will also have a power plant, which is expected to generate 740KW.

The benefits of the project include the development of agriculture in Tabagwe, Gatunda, Karama, Rukomo, Nyagatare, Rwempasha, Musheri and Rwimiyaga regions through irrigation.

Parliamentarians expressed appreciation for the project and agreed that the project could relieve residents in the drought-prone areas of Eastern Province.

Minister Ndagijimana assured them of the effectiveness of the project, pointed out that the study of the project was conducted to ensure its feasibility, and pointed out that the project took into account the water consumption during the dry season and its reduction.Editor/Huang Lijun