Announcement of Three Million Dollars Credit to Rwanda for Highway Maintenance on March 23, 1972

"'t• ,. HI, o,.,,, 4!',i, >, • INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (~) 1818 H STREET. N.W .. WASHINGTON D. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 IDA Press Release No. 72/23 Subject: $3.0 million credit to Rwanda March 2 3, 19 72 for hight1cy maintenance The Intemational Development Association (IDA), of the World Bank Group, has approved a $3.0 million credit to the Republic of Rwanda to help finance a $5 .. 1 million highway maintenance project, .it was announced today. The United Nations Development Prograrrnne is financing the services of five experts and the Federal Republic of Germany part of the cost of a maintenance workshop. German and Belgian experts currently working with Rwanda's highway and bridges department will also assist the project. The four-year project is the first phase of an eight to ten-year program • designed to improve road maintenance operations throughout Rwanda. reorganization and strengthenin~ of maintenance operations, and personnel It includes training; purchase of maintenance equipment, spare parts, fuel and materials; construction and equipping of a maintenance workshop; improvement of maintenance over the 1, 365-mile national road network; and improvement of selected roads and making good deferred maintenance on about 370 miles of roads. Rwanda is a mountaiGous land-locked country in central Africa and transportation is almost entirely by road. Most of the roads are in poor condition because of lack of maintenance due largely to shortages of flU'lds. The project is based on a ~'NOP-financed highway maintenance study for which the World Bank was executing agency. It is the second Rwanda highway project to be assisted by IDA. In 1970 a $9.3 million credit was approved for a 47-mile paved road linking the capital city of Kigali with Gatuna on the Uganda border. The IDA credit is for 50 years, including a 10-year grace period. It is interest free except for a 3/4 of 1% service charge to meet IDA's administra- tive expenses • • - 0 -  TECHNICAL DATA March 23, 1972 • PROJECT: Highway Maintenance COUNTRY: Republic of Rwanda TOTAL COST: $5.1 million IDA FINANCn~G: $3.0 million, 50 years, 10-year grace period, interest- free except for 3/4 of 1% service charge to cover IDA's administra- tive expenses. OTHER FINANCING: United Nations Development Programme, Federal Republic of Germany, Government of Rwanda. IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Directorate General of Roads and Bridges, Ministere de Travaux de Publique, Direction Generale de Ponts et Chaussees, Kigali, Rwanda; Cable Address: MINITRABLICS, Kigali, Rwanda. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Improve road maintenance capabilities of Rwanda, thereby supporting Government objective of developing efficient, reliable internal and external road communications. PROCUREMENT: Contracts of $25,000 equivalent or mre for equipment and the contract for construction of maintenance depot to be financed • by IDA fl.Ulds will be awarded on the basis of international competitive bidding; contracts of less than $25,000 to be awarded after local competitive bidding; fuel and construction supplies procured on basis of local suppliers' quotations. CONSULTANTS: To be selected. ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1976. - 0 - •