Rwanda road expansion contract awarded

Date: 5/9/2011

A project that will see some of east Africa's rural roads being made wider is one step closer to getting underway.

Engineering, construction and technical management firm Parsons has been awarded the contract for the work by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The scheme is set to help expand the rural road infrastructure of Rwanda and it is hoped that the results will serve to boost not only the people who live nearby, but also the country's economy.

According to Parsons, 90 per cent of the nation's population are involved in the crop cultivation sector and better routes would improve the access they have to market - particularly benefitting those who are totally reliant on the income they make from this.

Local people will be employed to help on the project, which will see the firm providing assessments of road inventory and preparing technical designs, among other duties.

Todd Wager, President of Parsons Group, says: "Parsons has worked in Africa for close to 50 years and has supported many USAID projects in Africa with design, engineering and construction services to improve lives by delivering clean water, reliable power and improved transportation."

The scheme is part of USAID's Feed the Future campaign, which aims to address the root cause of hunger and establish long-term solutions to this.

Posted by Mary Treen