Rwanda : Helpage trains more road maintenance associations

After receiving training on ways to upkeep public roads in their community, associations of road maintainers in Rusizi and Nyamaseke districts, west of Rwanda, have made a commitment to making good use of the government funded infrastructure

The associations were trained by Helpage International- a construction company which was contracted to build roads in the West and Northern provinces of Rwanda; and assigned with responiblity of capacity building in road maintenance.

A similar training, involving 27 representatives of cooperative members has been conducted in Musanze district, Northern Province, this May, 2012.

Alexis Byamana, the head Helpage, said that besides the training, these communities will be given road maintaince equipment worth over 300million Rwandan francs.

Byamana also asked the residents to be abreast and concerned over the sustainability of the roads and mobilize the community to own the infrastructure as assets for development, since there will not be any more injection of funds for the same purpose.

Alphonse Bimenyimana, the officer in charge of infrastructure in Rusizi, revealed that the roads in the district have not been cared for by the community and that this training should be able to reap some fruits in future.

The residents will now be responsible for roads measuring to at least 150km, with 96km in Nyamasheke and 63km in Rusizi. Atleast 36 members of road maintainance cooperatives from both district gained technical skills in road maintenance during a two weeks training conducted by road experts from Madagascar.

---